From The Hotline for Thursday, August 7, 2008

GENERAL ELECTION

Why Can't You Two Play Nice?

Thu. Aug 7, 2008


Washington Post's Broder asked John McCain and Barack Obama how they "feel about the tone and direction of the campaign so far."

McCain, interviewed 8/2: "I'm very sorry about it. I think we could have avoided at least some of this if we had agreed to do the town hall meetings." But, McCain said, "I'm not going to be smeared. I went through that once, and I'm not going to do it again. ... If anybody says I'm a racist ... I'm not going to stand for that."

Obama, interviewed by phone 8/6, argued "the classic tit-for-tat campaigning" of recent weeks "is part of the politics of the past that we have to move beyond." But Obama called it "patently offensive" that McCain would suggest he'd "rather lose a war to win a political campaign," and said, "I'm not going to sit back and let my record be distorted."

Obama said he hoped the upcoming debates "will allow people to see Senator McCain and myself interact in a way that keeps people more honest because you're standing there face to face." McCain "made exactly that point in arguing for early joint appearances" (8/7).

Meanwhile, Chicago Tribune's McCormick notes, behind some of the recent "nasty" rhetoric is the fact that "McCain went on the offensive early in hopes of defining Obama," while Obama "responded quickly," as Dems "pledged to do" after '04 (8/6).

They've Still Got Plenty Of Energy

Both candidates "focused on the economy" yesterday, as McCain called for an "economic surge" during a visit to OH and Obama asked voters in IN whether they're "better off today than they were four or eight years ago" (Goldman/Woellert, Bloomberg, 8/7).

AP's Sidoti writes, with energy resonating "with voters of all political stripes" due to high gas prices, GOP efforts to boost offshore drilling "may be swaying some undecided voters," judging by polls and interviews (8/6).

For more, see today's candidate stories.

Yeah, I'm Gonna Need You To Come In On Saturday

The pace of the campaign "could slow" as Obama heads off on his vacation tomorrow and the Olympics begin, "but the next two weeks may look strikingly similar to the last 18 months." Olympic viewers "will not escape" the campaign, with both candidates buying ads. And "halfway through the games," on 8/16, McCain and Obama will make their first joint appearance at the Rev. Rick Warren's Saddleback Church in CA.

"Until then, McCain is expected to take full advantage of Obama's absence, keeping a full" schedule next week that includes stops in IA, AR, NV and PA. McCain spokesperson Tucker Bounds: "Next week will be about John McCain reaching out to voters individually and making his case for leadership during the next four years" (Brown, Politico, 8/7).

What My Faith Means To Me

McCain and Obama have both written essays on faith for Time. McCain writes about his experiences as a prisoner of war in Vietnam, and with a merciful guard who was "a fellow Christian." McCain: "At its best, faith reminds us of our common humanity and our essential equality by the measure that matters most. ... Eve in solitary confinement, when everything else has been taken away, nothing can separate us from the love of our Creator."

Obama writes "We have to start by remembering the role that values play in addressing some of our most urgent social problems." Problems "of poverty and war, the unemployed aren't simply technical problems in search of a 10-point plan. They're rooted in societal indifference and individual callousness -- in the imperfections of man," and they "require a change in hearts and a change in minds" (8/7).

Am I Done Here?

In an interview 8/6, Sec/State Condoleezza Rice "said she understands some of the questions" Obama raised about the troop surge in Iraq, "but says today's conditions in the war zone would only be 'wishful thinking' without it." Rice also said Obama's and McCain's positions on Iraq "seem to be narrowing somewhat."

Meanwhile, Rice said she's headed back to CA in Jan., "and does not plan to serve" in the next admin, as VP "or anything else" (Allen, Politico, 8/7).

McCain Probably Still Loves Roller Grill Hot Dogs

Dems "have been pounding" McCain for his "ties to big oil," but it "turns out" that Obama "has actually received more money from Exxon employees than McCain," according to a Center for Responsive Politics analysis. Obama has received $42,100 from Exxon employees so far, while McCain has received $35,166. Employees at BP, Chevron and Sunoco also "seem to prefer" Obama (Roth, Houston Chronicle blog, 8/7).

See, Endorsements Don't Matter

AZ, CO and NE are considering ballot initiatives to ban affirmative action, and "the question is whether McCain's support" for the AZ initiative "will make any difference." Ex-Univ. of CA regent Ward Connerly, who's "bankrolling" the initiatives, "said he hasn't seen any increase in donations or GOP supporters flocking to his cause since McCain spoke up last month" (Kahn, AP, 8/6).

Voters = Tree Murderers

In Nov., "more Americans might cast their ballots on paper than in any other election in U.S. history" -- 57% of all voters, according to an AP survey. Despite the gov't's $3B plan "to upgrade voting technology" post-'00, "thousands of touchscreen devices are collecting dust in warehouses" from CA to FL, "where officials worried about hackers and fed up with technical glitches have replaced the equipment with scanners that will read paper ballots." And "all states but Idaho have junked the punch-card ballots that caused so much trouble" in FL (Hoffman, AP, 8/7).

Yes, We Have Openings

"An election-year standstill in Senate confirmation" of Pres. Bush's judicial nominees "will give the next" POTUS "a chance to tip the ideological balance" of U.S. appeals courts "that decide such issues as job discrimination, national security and pollution-cleanup disputes." A "carryover of the 10 vacancies" the Senate is leaving unfilled "would have the greatest effect" if Obama wins, letting him "move quickly to put his stamp on the courts." Six of the 13 appeals courts are currently "closely divided" between Dem and GOP appointees. If McCain wins, "it is not inconceivable that every circuit could have a majority" of GOP-appointed judges (Rowley, Bloomberg, 8/7).

We're All In The Ghetto

In his new book, "The Big Sort," Bill Bishop argues "the increasing segregation of America by social and cultural values -- not just by income -- helps explain America's growing political polarization." Americans "gravitate to lifestyle ghettos" inhabited by people like themselves, and "that group consciousness" makes views "more extreme" and members "more suspicious of outsiders." It's "not red and blue states so much as red and blue counties" (Newsweek.com, 8/6).

Think? Who Has Time To Think?

Slate's Dickerson writes, experts in "lifehacking" all agree that Obama "is taking the right first step" in making sure he takes time out to think and reflect, for instance going on vacation. McCain top staffer Mark Salter, asked when McCain has time to himself to think: "In the shower" (8/6).

  •  
  •