Back When We Mattered

The answer to our trivia question posed here: John Edwards & Mike Huckabee were the two candidates who stopped in Chattanooga, during primary season. Edwards was here on a Monday; by that Friday, he had dropped out of the race. Huckabee, as you know, stayed in for much longer.

Read our posts on Edwards’ visit here & here. Read our post on Huckabee’s visit here.

Where are they now? One candidate is disgraced after admitting to an affair, & his political career is likely over. The other hosts a talk show & is a viable presidential candidate for 2012. Do I really need to tell you who is who?

This Blog’s 1st Post…

..was about Fred Thompson’s decision to drop out of the race. Read it here.

We’re not going to name names - we’d be bound by journalistic ethics to list all local contributors, which we don’t have time for - but the names are available in the public record, & this site has them.

Total contributions to John Edwards’ presidential campaign in 2008 from Chattanooga residents in 2007/2008: $8221

Here are the 11 donors who gave over $200:

Photographer, Olan Mills - $4600

Trial Lawyer - $1000

Self-employed Development Consultant - $500

Retired Male - $305

Chickamauga Lock Operator - $300

Retired Female - $300

Unemployed Male - $250

Agrifos Fertilizer Inc. VP - $250

IT Guy at Unum Group - $250

Retired Female - $230

Retired Male - $216

This purpose of this post is not to ridicule the donors; regardless of your party, these folks deserve your sympathy. They believed in a man who turned out to have feet of clay.

By the way, 1175 voters in Hamilton County chose Edwards in the February presidential primary. 

From ABC News:

Sen. Hillary Clinton would be the Democratic presidential nominee if John Edwards had been caught in his lie about an extramarital affair and forced out of the race last year, insists a top Clinton campaign aide, making a charge that could exacerbate previously existing tensions between the camps of Clinton and Sen. Barack Obama.

“I believe we would have won Iowa, and Clinton today would therefore have been the nominee,” former Clinton Communications Director Howard Wolfson told ABCNews.com.

Clinton finished third in the Iowa caucuses barely behind Edwards in second place and Obama in first. The momentum of the insurgent Obama camaign beating two better-known candidates — not to mention an African-American winning in sucn an overwhelmingly white state — changed the dynamics of the race forever.

Obama won 37.6 per cent of the vote. Edwards won 29.7 per cent and Clinton won 29.5 per cent, according to results posted by the Iowa Democratic Party.

“Our voters and Edwards’ voters were the same people,” Wolfson said the Clinton polls showed. “They were older, pro-union. Not all, but maybe two-thirds of them would have been for us and we would have barely beaten Obama.”

…

Wolfson said the Clinton campaign was aware of the issue, but did not try to fan the flames.

“Any of the campaigns that would have tried to push that would have been burned by it,” said Wolfson.

 …

Wolfson’s contention is not shared by the Obama campaign, whose officials never bought the argument that Clinton was the second choice of Edwards voters. Immediately after Edwards dropped out of the race at the end of January, Obama won eleven straight contests in a row.

Edwards ruined it for Clinton? I don’t buy it. What do you think?

p.s. Tune in to NewsChannel 9 at 6 tonight - we are attempting a story on local folks who donated money to the Chattanooga campaign.

From ABC:

“John Edwards repeatedly lied during his Presidential campaign about an extramarital affair with a novice filmmaker, the former Senator admitted to ABC News today.

In an interview for broadcast tonight on Nightline, Edwards told ABC News correspondent Bob Woodruff he did have an affair with 44-year old Rielle Hunter, but said that he did not love her.

Edwards also denied he was the father of Hunter’s baby girl, Frances Quinn, although the one-time Democratic Presidential candidate said he has not taken a paternity test.

Edwards said he knew he was not the father based on timing of the baby’s birth on February 27, 2008. He said his affair ended too soon for him to have been the father.

A former campaign aide, Andrew Young, has said he was the father of the child.”

Guess we know who’s not on the VP short list anymore..

& just imagine how the race would have changed if this came out while Edwards was the Presidential nominee. The race would be completely over.

What do you think?

UPDATE: Here’s the Nightline interview:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Click here to view the embedded video.

January 15th, 2008, Democratic Debate, Las Vegas

TIM RUSSERT: You said each of you have strengths and weaknesses. I want to ask each of you quickly, your greatest strength, your greatest weakness.

JOHN EDWARDS:”I think weakness, I sometimes have a very powerful emotional response to pain that I see around me, when I see a man like Donnie Ingram, who I met a few months ago in South Carolina, who worked for 33 years in the mill, reminded me very much of the kind of people that I grew up with, who’s about to lose his job, has no idea where he’s going to go, what he’s going to do.

I mean, his dignity and self-respect is at issue. And I feel that in a really personal way and in a very emotional way. And I think sometimes that can undermine what you need to do.”

HILLARY CLINTON: “I get impatient. I get, you know, really frustrated when people don’t seem to understand that we can do so much more to help each other. Sometimes I come across that way. I admit that. I get very concerned about, you know, pushing further and faster than perhaps people are ready to go.”

=========================

Barack Obama, at a rally in Las Vegas Nevada four days later (reacting to the ‘weaknesses’ answers):

“Now, I didn’t, nobody had clued me in, that ya know, see, if I had gone last I would have said ‘My biggest weakness? I like to help old ladies across the street. I didn’t understand the question, but this is what I mean. This is political speak. This is what you learn in Washington from all those years of experience — it’s funny, except its sad, because it means that the American people are constantly having to sort out ‘what do people really mean?’”

===========================

Barack Obama, Meet the Press, May 4th, 2008 (asked about why he didn’t break with Reverend Wright sooner):

“And, you know, that is–that may be a fault of mine that I own up to, which is, is that I’m concerned about how other people feel, particularly somebody who I’ve known for quite some time.”

Elizabeth Edwards brought up some great points about the coverage of the Presidential campaign so far this year in an op-ed in Sunday’s New York Times.

Whether or not you agree with your politics, she makes some pretty dead-on damning statements over how the media has focused more on process & strategy rather than issues & ideas:

“..every analysis that is shortened, every corner that is cut, moves us further away from the truth until what is left is the Cliffs Notes of the news, or what I call strobe-light journalism, in which the outlines are accurate enough but we cannot really see the whole picture.

…

The problem today unfortunately is that voters who take their responsibility to be informed seriously enough to search out information about the candidates are finding it harder and harder to do so, particularly if they do not have access to the Internet.

…

News is different from other programming on television or other content in print. It is essential to an informed electorate. And an informed electorate is essential to freedom itself. But as long as corporations to which news gathering is not the primary source of income or expertise get to decide what information about the candidates “sells,” we are not functioning as well as we could if we had the engaged, skeptical press we deserve.

…

If voters want a vibrant, vigorous press, apparently we will have to demand it. Not by screaming out our windows as in the movie “Network” but by talking calmly, repeatedly, constantly in the ears of those in whom we have entrusted this enormous responsibility. Do your job, so we can — as voters — do ours.”

I say, hear hear.

& I want to commit myself to try to do a better job. Yes, strategy & personalities are important — but there are loads of issues that deserve at least as much if not more attention.

Is there an issue you care about that you haven’t seen where the candidates stand with it? If so, drop us a line & we’ll do the homework for you!

What do you think about Mrs. Edwards’ remarks? Post a comment!

IN THE HEADLINES WEDNESDAY MORNING: Fred Thomspon announced whom he’s endorsing for President!

WHY THAT’S A PROBLEM: He made the announcement last Friday, & nobody noticed.

After the jump find out who he’s picking & why that could prove troublesome for FredHeads .. & we’ll speculate on an endorsement that could have much greater impact on the race to the White House.. the endorsement

..of John Edwards.

Of course Thompson’s endorsing McCain — was that ever in any doubt? Thompson was a big backer of McCain’s failed 2000 presidential bid.

News of the endorsement first appeared here, on Friday, February 8th, at 7:18pm. He released a statement rather than call a news conference. Anyone who has a passing knowledge of the news business knows that late Friday evening is the last place you’d want to make a splashy announcement like this one — it’s the place you release stories you’d prefer get buried (the Bush administration & many past Presidents have followed this rule often). Amazingly, most news outlets didn’t start noticing this piece of news until earlier this week.

So what’s up with the timing? 2 possibilities.

• Fred is just incompetent & made a bad call. He should have done this on a morning after a McCain victory to help give him a much-needed boost.
• All-too-aware of the current fissures in the Republican party over McCain’s conservative credentials or lack of them, Fred was ashamed to reveal his pick & chose the timing to help bury the story.

Vote08 thinks the 2nd scenario is much more likely. Thompson was viewed by many conservatives, who are now upset over McCain’s status as the nominee, as “the only real conservative in the race.” Throwing support behind McCain no doubt taints his status as the standard-bearer.

Further proof the 2nd option is correct: Fred could have made a difference in his home state of Tennessee by backing McCain, who lost to Mike Huckabee. He chose to wait.

But picking McCain is the logical choice for Thompson to make. Abandoning his longtime Senate friend doesn’t make sense.

So does this mean he’s on the short list to be the Vice Presidential nominee, as some Fred fans would hope?

Sorry to say, but it’s highly unlikely. Fred demonstrated time & again on the campaign trail that he just doesn’t enjoy fulfilling the requirements a candidate in 2008 must make. He has said as much on the record, too. Conservatives need every member of their team on their “A” game as they face an uphill battle this year. Thompson proved that he makes a better benchwarmer than a running mate.

(Disagree with me? Let me know! Post a comment!)

An endorsement with the potential for more effect is the one that’ll soon come from former Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards.

Both the Clinton & Obama camps are lobbying him hard. & the candidate is reportedly torn about his choice.

The Clinton team has promised to move the issues near & dear to Edwards’ heart to the front burner once Clinton takes the White House.

But polls have shown that former Edwards supporters — & campaign staffers — have moved to the Obama camp. & Edwards campaigned against Clinton when he was a candidate; it would seem strange for him to throw his support behind the “corporate Democrat machine.”

Dan Balz of the Washington Post magnifies this point:

That Edwards is agonizing over the endorsement should be worrisome to Obama. Edwards, the scourge of special interests, should be easy pickings for the change candidate in the Democratic race, given all Edwards has said in criticism about Clinton over months of campaigning. But outward appearances suggest he is genuinely torn. An endorsement of Clinton would be a blow to Obama.

Whether Edwards will soon endorse in the Democratic race is not clear. But if he does, the decision is likely to generate as much media attention as Ted Kennedy’s announcement that he was supporting Obama. Al Gore would top both in terms of instant impact, but there is no sign that the environmental oracle is ready to plunge back into the gritty world of presidential politics.

What do you think?

• Will Fred Thompson’s endorsement of McCain help him or hurt him with conservatives?
• Why did he choose the timing & method (press release, Friday evening) to make his endorsement announcement?
• Is he still in the running for the Vice Presidential ticket? Or does Mike Huckabee have the likliest shot?
• Whom will John Edwards endorse? Whom should he endorse?

Post a comment! We’d love to hear from you!

Chattanooga Edwards fans, consider yourselves lucky.

From the AP: DENVER - The Associated Press has learned that Democrat John Edwards is leaving the presidential race. Two advisers say Edwards has notified a close circle of senior advisers that he plans to make the announcement today in New Orleans. Edwards ran a campaign that steered his rivals toward progressive ideals — even as he dealt with family hardship, & his wife’s cancer diagnosis.

This is a surprise. Edwards was widely expected to stay in the race at least until Super Tuesday. His delegates could have made a huge difference at a brokered convention.

ABC News has more here. The “money quotes” are at the end:

Edwards has not publicly said who he will throw his support behind, though he has had private conversations with both Clinton and Obama in recent days.

In a recent interview with ABC News’ David Muir, Edwards adamantly shot down any desire to again be a vice presidential candidate.

Here’s Barack Obama’s statement on Edwards:

“John Edwards has spent a lifetime fighting to give voice to the voiceless and hope to the struggling, even when it wasn’t popular to do or covered in the news. At a time when our politics is too focused on who’s up and who’s down, he made a nation focus again on who matters: the New Orleans child without a home, the West Virginia miner without a job, the families who live in that other America that is not seen or heard or talked about by our leaders in Washington. John and Elizabeth Edwards have always believed deeply that we can change this — that two Americans can become one, and that our country can rally around this common purpose. So while his campaign may end today, the cause of their lives endures for all of us who still believe that we can achieve that dream of one America.”

& this is an AP story on Clinton’s reaction:

DENVER (AP) - Hillary Rodham Clinton says John Edwards called her to let her know he was bowing out of the race for the White House.

Edwards’ decision to drop out could be a boost to the New York senator. A recent Associated Press-Yahoo poll suggests four out of 10 Edwards supporters will switch over to the Clinton camp, compared to a quarter who say they prefer Barack Obama.

Both Clinton and Obama would welcome Edwards’ backing and the support of the 56 delegates he has collected. But, Edwards has no immediate plans to endorse either of them.

Obama heaped praise on Edwards, saying he has “spent a lifetime fighting to give voice to the voiceless and hope to the struggling, even when it wasn’t popular to do.” Aides say Obama asked for Edwards’ endorsement last night.

So what does this mean going forward? One thing’s for sure: Thursday night’s California debate just got a heckuva lot more interesting.

Here’s the latest on Rudy Giuliani, expected to bow out today:

Two New York lawmakers say Rudy Giuliani has told them he will drop out of the presidential race and endorse Senator John McCain.
The two New York state Republicans say they got calls from Giuliani about his plans. Congressman Peter King, a Giuliani adviser, says he expects Giuliani will be “fairly active for McCain.” Giuliani, who once led the GOP pack, bet and lost on Florida. After heavy campaigning in the state, the former New York mayor placed a distant third in yesterday’s primary.
He’s heading to California, where Republican presidential candidates are scheduled to debate at the Reagan presidential library in Simi Valley. Party officials say that’s where he’ll announce his backing for his longtime friend.
McCain, who is himself heading to the Golden State, spoke glowingly of Giuliani yesterday, thanking him for being an “inspiration” to the Arizona senator and to millions of Americans.

What do Edwards & Giuliani’s departures mean for either party? Will Rudy’s support help McCain? Whom will Edwards endorse? Post a comment with your thoughts!

Hey, Republicans!

A page has turned with McCain’s Florida win, & today begins a new chapter in the fight for the Republican nomination. It begins with a narrowing of the GOP field as one candidate drops out, and an increasing chance that McCain will be who voters decide on in November. It also is forcing Democrats to take a hard look at which candidate gives McCain the hardest time in the general.

In Florida last night, McCain beat the expectations of many, including Zach Wamp — yet his victory comes as a vindication for one pollster who’s been burned several times this year. & McCain defied predictions that a primary closed to registered Republicans would be his undoing.

Here’s the Florida vote percentage breakdown:
John McCain - 36 percent-X
Mitt Romney - 31 percent
Rudy Giuliani - 15 percent
Mike Huckabee - 13 percent
Ron Paul - 3 percent
Fred Thompson - 1 percent

That’s a tough loss for Romney, any way you slice it.

Without further ado, let’s get to your morning links:

Read McCain’s victory speech here.

How did he do it? It boils down to how GOP voters in Florida viewed President Bush. Those who have soured on W’s policies voted for McCain (ironic when you remember McCain has been one of the President’s staunchest supporters on Iraq). Mitt Romney’s voters were in large part Bush fans. Also, voters who viewed trimming the deficit stayed in McCain’s camp; Romney won with those who favor more tax cuts instead. McCain also won against one of the biggest demographics for the general: Hispanics.

Huckabee supporters had McCain as their second choice, which may surprise those of you who thought they were anti-McCain. David Brooks reminds us why we shouldn’t pigeonhole voters and has some other lessons we can learn from the Florida primary.

McCain’s win & his likely nomination is very hard to swallow for many conservative Republicans who feel he has betrayed their cause on numerous occasions. Victor Davis Hanson has a warning for those in that camp.

Whom do anti-McCain conservatives like? Mitt Romney still has quite a few cheerleaders on the right, especially in the world of talk radio. Vote08 often checks in on Rush Limbaugh & Sean Hannity in the afternoons, and while they haven’t been overt about endorsing Romney, it’s clear they make a point of criticizing him the least. Were there a better candidate in the race, there is no doubt in my mind we’d be hearing the words “Mitt” & “flip-flopper” often mentioned next to each other on the airwaves.

Recent evidence of pro-Romneyism on the microphone: Sean Hannity & Mike Huckabee have been in a media dustup this week. Hannity took on Huckabee supporter Chuck Norris on Fox News last night.

Speaking of Fox News, the network has been for months clandestinely (some would say not so clandestinely) indicating it wants Rudy Giuliani to win (network Pres Roger Ailes has repeatedly supported Rudy in public). After a poor showing in a state where he bet all his cards, Rudy is expected to announce he’s quitting the race later today & throwing his support to McCain. This morning the Washington Post speculates on why Rudy didn’t survive. Giuliani did the worst in our recent NewsChannel9.com web poll — I watched the results over a 24 hour period & Rudy was the only candidate who got zero votes in that time span. Recall he visited Chattanooga two years ago, back when he was close to being the front runner, to raise money for then-Senate candidate Bob Corker.

Which brings us back to McCain. Zach Wamp told Vote08 yesterday the nominees would be decided after Super Tuesday. But today it’s looking increasingly likely that enough Republican voters will name him as their nominee. Why?

• Polls show him beating Hillary Clinton easily in the general. Waitaminute — never mind.
• The GOP traditionally gives its current ‘elder statesman’ his turn. Think Bob Dole in 1996, George HW Bush in 1988, etc. This year was somewhat traumatic without a clear person to fit this bill, but that figure appears to be emerging now.
• McCain appears to be “the choice” for GOP voters who are disappointed in President Bush. They get to vote “against” the current president’s policies without crossing over to the other side.

& speaking of the other side, here’s this morning’s Democratic news.

Hey, did you hear Florida was a big win for Hillary Clinton last night? Even though all candidates agreed months ago not to campaign or accept delegates because the state broke the rules by moving up its primary? Is that fair, Hillary supporters? Should Florida’s Democratic delegates have a voice at this summer’s convention?

& speaking of conventions — it’s increasingly looking like delegates are going to matter more for both parties than at any other time since most of us have been alive. We’ll dive into the details later this week.

Barack Obama tells ABC News why he’s the candidate who could beat McCain.

The Washington Monthly makes a case that, to paraphrase Lloyd Bentsen in the 1988 Vice-Presidential debate, that Obama is no Jack Kennedy.

Not all Kennedys are Obama fans.

This year the Democratic race for the nomination is breaking down of racial and gender barriers. But Newsweek’s Anna Quindlen wonders if Americans are ready to break the age barrier as well.

Will a McCain nomination be a boon to political cartoonists? An artist takes you through his thought process in drawing John McCain.

Katie Couric had a fascinating piece on another network last night. She asked each of the presidential candidates “if you could take only one book with you to the White House other than the Bible, what would it be?” The candidates’ answers:

• John McCain: The Wealth of Nations by Adam Smith. The “bible” for economists everywhere.
• Barack Obama: Team of Rivals by Doris Kearnes Goodwin. A Lincoln biography focusing on his cabinet.
• Mitt Romney: John Adams, a biography by David McCullough
• Mike Huckabee: Whatever Happened to the Human Race? by Francis Schaeffer & C. Everett Koop
• John Edwards: The Trial of Socrates by I.F. Stone
• Hillary Clinton: The Federalist Papers, the “behind-the-scenes” bible for the creation of the American government.
• Rudy Giuliani: The Federalist Papers, the “behind-the-scenes” bible for the creation of the American government. (no, that’s not a typo - they both gave the same answer)

Like Romney, Vote08 would choose a David McCollough biography but intead of “Adams” it would be “Truman.”

Speaking of HST, Margaret Truman, daughter of President Truman, died yesterday. She did not enjoy her time in the White House, but she is involved in one of my favorite anecdotes about the Truman presidency. Truman touted his daughter’s singing abilities. When Truman picked up his “Washington Post” early on December 6, 1950, to read a review of his daughter Margaret Truman’s singing performance, he was livid. Though conceding that Miss Truman was “extremely attractive,” Paul Hume, the “Post’s” music critic, stated bluntly that “Miss Truman cannot sing very well” and “has not improved” over the years. Acting as a parent first & leader of the free world second, the president wrote the following letter to the 34-year old Hume, whom he compared to the columnist Westbrook Pegler (”a rat,” in Truman’s view):

Mr Hume:

I’ve just read your lousy review of Margaret’s concert. I’ve come to the conclusion that you are an “eight ulcer man on four ulcer pay.”

It seems to me that you are a frustrated old man who wishes he could have been successful. When you write such poppy-cock as was in the back section of the paper you work for it shows conclusively that you’re off the beam and at least four of your ulcers are at work.

Some day I hope to meet you. When that happens you’ll need a new nose, a lot of beefsteak for black eyes, and perhaps a supporter below!

Pegler, a gutter snipe, is a gentleman alongside you. I hope you’ll accept that statement as a worse insult than a reflection on your ancestry.

H.S.T.

I guess you could say Presidents may come & go, but their animosity towards the media remains constant!

What do you think about McCain’s Florida win? Can Huckabee still win? Is Romney going to give him a run for his money? Which Democratic can best beat McCain? Post a comment & let us know!

John Edwards has come & gone!
Here’s a link of how the crowd was warmed up before he got there.

Here’s video of Edwards arriving at the IBEW.

Here’s the 1st part of his speech.

Here’s the 2nd part of his speech.

Here’s the 3rd part of his speech.

& here’s his departure.

Kudos to NewsChannel 9 backpack journalist & web master Richard Simms, who shot the footage and uploaded it to NewsChannel 9’s main website from the event.

Tonight on NewsChannel 9 at 5:30, NewsChannel9’s Kim Fields reports extensively on Edwards’ visit. You’ll also hear Ted Kennedy endorse Obama, get a rundown of where things stand in Florida, and hear how many people in Hamilton County have already voted early! I hope you’ll tune in!

.
OTHER AFTERNOON CAMPAIGN NEWS:

The group Tennessee Right to Life endorses Mike Huckabee for President: “Our members recognize Mike Huckabee as ‘one of us’ and that enthusiasm is driven by his demonstrated record of leadership and sacrifice toward the shared cause of protecting life.”

Author Toni Morrison, who famously first called Bill Clinton “the first black president,” has endorsed Barack Obama. For those keeping score, the Kennedys (Caroline & Ted), Oprah, and now Morrison are in the Obama camp. Quite a lot of buzz in the newsroom this morning about the eloquence of Caroline’s New York Times endorsement. But the Wall Street Journal breaks down poll numbers in the bigger super Tuesday states that show Hillary Clinton still has the advantage.
Tune in to Vote08 tomorrow for a preview of the Florida primary!

The Tennessee Valley gets its first up-close glimpse of the 2008 Presidential campaign today. John Edwards appears at the IBEW Local 175 at 3922 Volunteer Drive at 11:15 a.m.

Directions: Take the Bonny Oaks exit off of 153 & head towards downtown Chattanooga (west). Take your 1st left onto Industry Drive & then another left onto Volunteer Drive.

Recapping what I said this weekend: There are two ways for candidates to make an impact on a local market like Chattanooga: a) buy ads in local media, and b) visit. Edwards’ 3rd place standing means he doesn’t have as much cash as his rivals, so he’s opting for b).

He’s scheduled for an event in Nashville at 1:30 CST, which is 2:30 EST. Assuming he’s on schedule (as one never should) that means we’re looking at an hour & 15 minutes of Edwards face time. That’s maximum, but I would guess the time you’ll be able to see him is close to half that.

Should you go if you can? Absolutely. This goes for everyone of any political stripe. These events happen with the rarity of solar eclipses, and regardless of how you feel about the man it’s still a fun event to witness. Depend on NewsChannel 9 and NewsChannel9.com (not to mention Vote08) to keep you up to date on what’s happening.

Edwards made a stop yesterday in Dublin, Georgia. If you live in north Georgia and are a fan, this Chattanooga visit is likely your only chance to see him.

Crunching Edwards’ 2004 TN Primary Numbers

A recent poll shows Edwards is doing better in east Tennessee than the rest of the state. So how did he do in the last primary season? USElectionAtlas.org crunches the 2004 numbers for Hamilton County. They show Edwards came in third behind John Kerry & Wesley Clark in Hamilton County, with 19% of the vote.

By contrast Edwards did far better in Bradley County in 2004, coming in 2nd to Kerry with 26%. That number conforms with other Tennessee counties in the NewsChannel9 viewing area, and mirrors his ultimate 2004 Volunteer State primary outcome.

So there’s a good chance Edwards’ campaign took those lower-than-the-rest-of-the-neighborhood 2004 Hamilton County numbers into account when deciding to visit Chattanooga today.

A higher amount of support for Edwards is reflected in the latest NewsChannel9.com web poll of the Democratic field, which closed earlier today. Here are the results:

Which Democratic presidential candidate will get your vote in the upcoming February 5th primaries?
Hillary Clinton 34%
Barack Obama 15%
John Edwards 20%
I’m Still Undecided 4%
None of Them 27%
Total Votes: 453

Edwards comes in second, reflecting real, scientific poll numbers. Also interesting: this poll only had 2/3rds as much participation than in the Republican web poll we did last week.

Check back with Vote08 throughout the day for updates on Edwards’ visit!

John Edwards comes to Chattanooga today. Kevin Drum at the Washington Monthly looks at the role Edwards could play at the Democratic convention — and the White House under a Democratic administration.

John McCain is in a tighter-than-tight race with Mitt Romney in Florida. The Politico says two key endorsements could change the game for voters on Tuesday. & the PR NewsChannel tries the 21st century equivalent of reading tea leaves: seeing which candidates voters in Florida are searching the most on the internet. Which candidate have you recently researched on the internet? Let us know!

Ted Kennedy makes it official & makes Bill (& one would assume Hillary) mad by endorsing Barack Obama later today. Last big Democrat to remain uncommitted: Al Gore. Could that change this week? What do you think?

Caroline Kennedy may have saddled up for the Obama campaign, but this argument - from the left - shows why emulating JFK may not be such a good idea. What do you think the Kennedy endorsements mean for Obama?

Super Tuesday’s results could hinge on voters in California, & Robert Novak expertly dissects the polls in a way that show Hillary Clinton appears to be standing on shakier ground than her campaign’d like to admit. And Novak also has what he calls a great suggestion for John McCain’s Vice Presidential choice: Condoleezza Rice.

One Tennessee newspaper’s on the record for Hillary Clinton. & so is conservative blog RedState, believe it or not.

A former Fred Thompson supporter describes why he’s now decided Romney’s his guy. What about you local Thompson supporters? Still undecided?

Paul Krugman of the New York Times travels back in time to 1992 .. and argues no Democrat who wins the White House will be immune from the Partisan Wars.

CNN’s exit polls show Barack Obama got a bigger slice of voters in South Carolina than John McCain & Mike Huckabee combined.

..but Stuart Rothenberg at RealClearPolitics.com makes a case that the slugfest in South Carolina last week opens the way for the GOP to keep control of the White House.

Mike Huckabee has given up on Florida & is now campaigning hard in Georgia. A new Zogby poll shows Rudy Giuliani benefits (ever-so-slightly) from that move — he’s now in 3rd place.

Bill Kristol says a member of Vice President Cheney’s family is now endorsing Mitt Romney, and in this clip speculates that Romney may have more fans than that in the White House.

& finally, who would lead the charge in a campaign to boycott all things related to Mike Huckabee supporter Chuck Norris? A former Fred Thompson campaign spokesman, that’s who! Darrel Ng says he disagrees with Huckabee’s professed stances on evolution & AIDS, so he’s boycotting everything Norris-related .. right down to the companies that advertise during reruns of Walker, Texas Ranger. Good luck with that, Darrel.

What did we miss? What news are you looking for on Vote08? Let us know!

The Chattanoogan.com reports John Edwards is less than 48 hours away from a visit to the Scenic City:

“Edwards has scheduled an event for Monday at 11:15 a.m. at IBEW Local 175 at 3922 Volunteer Drive. The event is free and open to the public. He is due to drive straight to Nashville for an event at the Steelworkers headquarters at 1:30 p.m. CST.”

hmm.

So, 11:15 a.m., & he has to be in Nashville at 1:30 CST, which is 2:30 EST. Assuming he’s on schedule (as one never should) that means we’re looking at an hour & 15 minutes of Edwards face time. That’s maximum, but I would guess the time you’ll be able to see him is close to half that. So blink & you’ll miss it.

Recall I wrote that Edwards had expressed an interest in buying tv ad time this week to NewsChannel 9’s National Sales Director, but has not spent a penny yet. His visit will save his campaign the money as local news outlets will give him the exposure he’s looking for for free. & not that there’s anything wrong with that, it’s a way to keep the belt tight.

..which is a similar need for Mike Huckabee’s penny-pinching campaign right now. Which means — hang on to your Huckabee Hats - the bass player for the rock group Capitol Offense himself could very well “splash down” somewhere in the Tennessee Valley sometime prior to Primary Day, February 5th.

& speaking of local Huckabee fans, Hamilton County Commissioner Bill Hullander is officially on the record. Hullander spoke with a crowd of about 40 at the Country Place Restaurant on Shallowford Road Saturday morning. Mark West of Ooltewah helped lead the effort. He tells Vote08 several other local officials were in attendance but weren’t ready to go as far as Hullander on the record. West also says several in the audience asked for comparisons of Huckabee & Fred Thompson.

Yesterday’s WSMV-TV statewide poll shows Huckabee & Edwards both have higher poll numbers in east Tennessee compared to the rest of the state. This may be more than a presidential politics nut like me could hope for, but there may even be a chance we’d see 2 visits from either or both candidates.

Hillary Clinton’s Tennessee team have released her schedule, but she’s keeping to Nashville & Memphis, likely trying to take some votes away from Barack Obama.

Depend on Vote08 to have more on the Edwards visit Monday, and on NewsChannel 9 & NewsChannel 9.com to be all over his 75-minute whirlwind visit.

So will you try to get over to see Edwards? Any parents planning on taking their kids? How certain are you that you’ll vote or not vote for him? Write a comment!

The GOP candidates debated last night in Florida. ABC News has some good analysis (once you get past the awful, belabored headline).

Conventional wisdom says the candidate who can claim the “center” first is typically the odds-on favorite to win the White House. The New York Times’ blog “Campaign Stops” dissects a Pew research poll to see which candidate on either side is closest to that sweet spot (the answer should give Republicans hope).

& speaking of the New York Times, I’m sure the vast majority of undecided voters down here in the South have been waiting with baited breath to hear which Democrat & Republican candidates the paper endorses for the upcoming New York primary. Here’s a look at a national poll of a matchup between the candidates they endorse.

Hillary Clinton’s campaign may be downplaying expectations for how she’ll do in South Carolina this Saturday, but former ABC Political Director Mark Halperin (now at Time Magazine) has quite a bit of evidence she’s still playing hard for a win.

Never-in-a-million-years candidate Dennis Kucinich rides off into the sunset today.

Tennessee Senator & former Chattanooga mayor Bob Corker switches committee seats in the Senate, moving from the Armed Services Committee to the Banking Committee. He says he isn’t sure whether yesterday’s proposed tax rebate plan to stimulate the economy will get the job done, but hopes Senators will tweak it to his liking when they look at it later today. By the way ABC’s Good Morning America reports this morning those checks won’t be in the mail until at least May.

A blogger at RedState.com is far less diplomatic than Corker about what the rebates mean for the conserative movement: “My head is exploding.“

2000 Vice-Presidential candidate Joe Lieberman is rolling up his sleeves to work for John McCain.

Former Reagan speechwriter Peggy Noonan now writes for the Wall Street Journal. Today she says a) Thanks, Bill Clinton, for helping the GOP to win in November, b) the GOP race is now a contest between McCain & Romney, and c) McCain or Romney wouldn’t “ruin” the Republican party as some right-wing radio talk show hosts have suggested. She lays the blame at the foot of George W. Bush.

John Edwards goes Hollywood with a new ad using the cheesy voiceover guy from movie trailers. The ad starts with “In a world where….” No, really, it does.

& finally, Barack Obama gave David Letterman his Top Ten Campaign Promises last night.