Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Advertisement
MCCAIN
2000 Leagues Under The Sea
'00 strategist Mike Murphy "may soon take a prominent role" in John McCain's camp, although "even some advocates" of Murphy's return "aren't sure how or whether such a move would work" (Gerstein, New York Sun, 7/8).
McCain "has told two friends in recent weeks that that he would like" Murphy "as his senior strategist, and before the most recent shake-up," Murphy "told at least one associate that he was interested in coming back" (Nagourney, New York Times, 7/8). But "sources said it was unclear how much authority" Murphy would be offered and "whether it would be enough for him to accept a role."
The talk of Murphy's imminent return was fueled 7/7 "by the lack of any denials from those said to be involved." The "usually garrulous" Murphy "did not respond to telephone and e-mail messages seeking comment." And McCain spokesperson Tucker Bounds only said: "I have no announcement to make."
Dem strategist Christopher Lehane said a formal role for Murphy "would signal a major change" in McCain's message. Lehane: "The campaign has been following a very puzzling approach, which is to play into the Democratic message that makes clear this will be a third Bush term. If Murphy is involved you'll have a completely different strategic approach. They'll combine McCain's unquestionable personal courage and valor shown in that prison cell in Vietnam ... with the perception that he's shown courage over his career in public office."
Meanwhile, the "chief concern expressed" about Murphy's arrival "is that he might be an awkward fit" with newly promoted senior adviser Steve Schmidt. A McCain surrogate: "Steve is much more of a rapid fire, relentless, hammer-the-message-home-until-everybody-gets-nauseous, only-then-is-it-really-getting-through kind of guy. I think Murphy gets rapid-fire but he's very much into stagecraft and bigger thematic messages" (New York Sun, 7/8).
Murphy and Schmidt "had their differences when they worked together" for the re-election of CA Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R), "though by all accounts, those are mild compared" with Murphy's "differences with other people in the various factions" at McCain HQ.
But one other potential hindrance to Murphy coming in: He is a founder of DC Navigators -- "a lobbying firm whose clients include insurance firms" and the Indian Gaming Assn, "to name a few." McCain "said he did not want any working lobbyists" in his camp. But Murphy says his role at the firm is not as a lobbyist. Murphy: "I've never been registered in my life. ... I told my partners months ago that if I did McCain, I'd leave the firm" (New York Times, 7/8).
All In The Family Feud
Meanwhile, New York Times' Nagourney reports, "after a period of relative calm," the McCain camp "is once again a swirl of competing spheres of influence" -- "clusters of friends, consultants and media advisers who represent a matrix of clashing ambitions and festering feuds."
The cast includes the surviving members of McCain's '00 bid, led by mgr. Rick Davis and senior adviser Mark Salter; "a new camp out of the world of Karl Rove, led by the recently ascendant" Schmidt; and "on the periphery, the ever-present" Murphy, who has been "dispensing advice" to McCain "to the annoyance of the other camps, and is the subject of intensifying rumors" that "he is about to re-enter" the camp (see above, 7/7 Hotline).
McCain "is uncomfortable firing people or banishing them entirely. His orbit remains filled with people who have been demoted without being told they are being demoted, like" Davis. Yet, McCain "inspires uncommon loyalty in those who serve with him -- hence the willingness" of Murphy "to consider coming back," despite "his own rather brutal history of enmity" with Davis.
Meanwhile, Nagourney offers a road-map of sorts for the senior members of the McCain camp:
• Schmidt "is working without compensation" from the camp -- "a way of signaling to people that he is prepared to return to his family" should "this latest shake-up not work." His ties with McCain "are not as deep as those who worked" in McCain's first WH bid, and who are "suspicious" that Schmidt "is something of a proxy" for Rove.
• Davis "is nothing if not a survivor." Yet "his management (and survival) skills do not necessarily translate into what it takes to run against a candidate" like Barack Obama.
• Rove is not directly involved in the McCain camp, "but his presence there can be seen in the number of his proteges who now hold central roles there." Schmidt "tops that list; coming in a very close second is Nicolle Wallace," who was comm. dir. for BC '04 and in the WH.
• However, "it seems safe to say that few people understand" McCain "as well as" Murphy does (7/8).
From Raves To Rave Reviews
In the wake of the staff shake-up and re-messaging in the McCain camp, Los Angeles Times' Reston notes the changes in "stagecraft" at McCain's latest town hall in Denver:
• The advance team "set up not one but three teleprompters to make McCain's often stilted delivery more natural. He still missed a few words, but appeared more practiced."
• "Blue-and-white banners heralding McCain's 'Jobs for America' plan framed the stage and a large blue rug with the McCain logo gave the room a finished look."
• "Technicians toned down the house lights to avoid drawing attention McCain's white hair."
• The "jarring mix of Abba and techno beats" was "replaced by songs from homespun country crooners" -- Rascal Flatts' "Mayberry" and Alan Jackson's "Tequila Sunrise."
• McCain "even squeezed in his new message that he will 'always put our country first'" (7/8).
CNN's Yellin, on McCain's rebranding effort: "Experience has shown McCain that mixing a little bit of the maverick with a little bit of toeing the party line works for him. He just has to find the right mix. And he's not there yet" ("AC 360," 7/7).
What The World Needs Now Is Love, Sweet Love
McCain is up with a new TV ad, "Love," in "key states" and on nat'l cable.
The ad highlights McCain's "record of putting his country first and taking on the tough challenges confronting our country even when it was not popular or in his self-interest."
Full script:
ANNCR: "It was a time of uncertainty, hope and change. The 'Summer Of Love.' Half a world away, another kind of love -- of country. John McCain: Shot down. Bayoneted. Tortured. Offered early release, he said, 'No.' He'd sworn an oath. Home, he turned to public service. His philosophy: before party, polls and self ... America. A maverick, John McCain tackled campaign reform, military reform, spending reform. He took on presidents, partisans and popular opinion. He believes our world is dangerous, our economy in shambles. John McCain doesn't always tell us what we 'hope' to hear. Beautiful words cannot make our lives better. But a man who has always put his country and her people before self, before politics can. Don't 'hope' for a better life. Vote for one. McCain." McCAIN: "I'm John McCain and I approved this message" (release, 7/8).
NBC/National Journal's Berger notes, the ad take a "dig" at Obama, when it says McCain "doesn't always tell us what we hope to hear" and that "beautiful words cannot make our lives better" (7/8).
Beyond Borders
McCain will speak today to the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) -- "his second such address to Hispanic voters in as many weeks."
He "is expected to repeat his political sentiments about the need for comprehensive immigration reform -- a view that appeals to Hispanics." OH atty Juan Jose Perez (R): "He can't let the ultraconservative right pull him away from that position." But other GOPers are looking for him "to take a hard-line approach" (Holmes, Wall Street Journal, 7/8).
Meanwhile, in his remarks prepared for delivery today, McCain says: "Many Americans, with good cause, did not believe us when we said we would secure our borders, and so we failed in our efforts. We must prove to them that we can and will secure our borders first, while respecting the dignity and rights of citizens and legal residents of the United States. But we must not make the mistake of thinking that our responsibility to meet this challenge will end with that accomplishment. We have economic and humanitarian responsibilities as well, and they require no less dedication from us in meeting them" (release, 7/8).
For more on McCain's LULAC address, see today's GENERAL ELECTION story.
Do As I Say, Not As I Do
As McCain "kicked off a week of economic-themed campaigning" in Denver, CO, on 7/7, "it was apparent that some of the underlying tensions between the two schools that guide his economic thinking -- the supply-siders who want to cut taxes and the deficit hawks who want to balance the budget -- remain unresolved."
McCain "has promised once again to balance the budget by the end of his first term" in '13, his advisers said 7/7. McCain: "American workers and families pay their bills and balance their budgets, and I will demand the same of the government."
"But it is unclear how" McCain "intends to balance the budget." Fiscal analysts who have examined his plans "say his calls to extend" Bush's tax cuts and "cut corporate and other taxes without calling for comparable spending cuts could increase the federal budget deficit significantly" (Cooper, New York Times, 7/8).
Concord Coalition exec. dir. Robert Bixby, on balancing the budget by '13: "It would be very difficult to achieve in the best of circumstances, and even more difficult under the policies that Senator McCain has proposed" (Pear, New York Times, 7/8).
For more on McCain's economic plans, see 7/7 Hotline.
Yeah, He's The Taxman
McCain also made the morning show rounds today to discuss his economic plans.
McCain, on how he plans to balance the budget by '13: "There's a whole lot of economists, including Nobel laureates that agree with my plan. We're going to reach restrained spending, we're going to have the economy grow again and increase revenues. The problem is that spending got completely out of control. We grew government by some 40%. ... We keep peoples' taxes low. We create jobs, 700,000 jobs by building new nuclear power plants, 20,000 new jobs by coal, gasification, so that we have clean coal technologies, new automotive technologies, and we'll balance the budget."
McCain, on what he plans to do to reform Social Security: "I would sit down with Democrats and Republicans, the way Ronald Reagan and Tip O'Neill did in 1983. And they said, okay, we've got everything on the table here, let's come to an agreement. ... I know how to work across the aisle, I've done it with Democrats and I've done it for many, many years" ("American Morning," CNN, 7/8).
McCain, on whether the U.S. is in a recession: "If we're technically in a recession or not, I would imagine that we are. But the major thing is, Americans are hurting and Americans don't like it, and they think that the country's in the wrong direction" ("Morning Joe," MSNBC, 7/8).
McCain, on the differences between his tax plan and Obama's tax plan: "He voted for a budget resolution twice, I think, Senator Obama did, that would've raised people's taxes everywhere, and right now, he wants to raise the Social Security tax, capital gains tax, the tax on the, quote, wealthy. By the way, that's you guys. Watch out. It's a fundamental difference that Senator Obama and I have, and you couple that with protectionism, his opposition to free trade, then I think you have a very potent mixture there, and we're going to be drawing out those differences throughout the campaign" ("Fox & Friends," FNC, 7/8).
Weekly Standard's Hays, on McCain's economic plan: "One of the things that I think probably is frustrating some conservatives right now is that you've got McCain essentially talking about the details. Some of this is inside the Beltway stuff. It's stuff that doesn't matter to the average voter, who wants to hear more about how they're going to have more money in their pocket. And I think the missed opportunity here might be that McCain is not talking about major tax reform" ("Situation Room," CNN, 7/7).
I Got Five On It
McCain is making visits to "five battleground states" this week "to focus on the economy."
Today, McCain will travel from CO to DC, where he will discuss Hispanic issues at LULAC (see today's GENERAL ELECTION story). On 7/9, he will travel to Pittsburgh, PA, and Portsmouth, OH, before heading to MI on 7/10, where he will hold a town hall in Belleville. After the MI stop, he will host by phone a "tele-town" hall meeting in VA later 7/10 and visit Hudson, WI, on 7/11 (AP, 7/7).
The 7/11 forum in Hudson is "for women only" (Salisbury, St. Paul Pioneer Press, 7/7).
By The Numbers
To mark day two of McCain's "Jobs First" tour, the DNC launched a new website "that highlights McCain's fuzzy math and the impact of his out of touch economic agenda on the families hit hardest by the economic downturn" (release, 7/8).
It's Good To See He Hasn't Lost His Touch
Bill Clinton told an audience at the Aspen Ideas Festival on 7/5 that POWs often suffer "anger" long after the incident -- which some took "as a swipe" at McCain.
B. Clinton made the remarks during a speech where he described ex-South African Pres. Nelson Mandela's forgiveness of his captors. Clinton: "If you know anybody who was a POW for any length of time, you will see you go along for months or maybe even years and then something will happen and it will trigger all those bad dreams and it will come back" (Haberman, New York Post, 7/8).
McCain, on B. Clinton's remarks: "I don't know where he gets his expertise" ("Fox & Friends," FNC, 7/8).
Go Take A Tax Hike
McCain Victory '08 chair Carly Fiorina said 7/7 that McCain's WH bid is "doing pretty darned well" for being outraised, outspent and outstaffed.
She also told reporters at a breakfast hosted by the Christian Science Monitor that it's worth considering the challenge Obama has taken on by bypassing $84M in public financing. Fiorina: "Importantly, the Republican National Committee has been outraising the Democratic National Committee very consistently. ... For Obama to make that up and all the money the DNC and the RNC can put into this, he'd have to raise more money in each of the coming four months than he has ever raised before" (Hallow, Washington Times, 7/8).
Meanwhile, Fiorina also made the case that Obama's proposed tax hike on those who make more than $250K/year would be damaging to small businesses. Fiorina: "When Barack Obama says that the Bush tax cuts only helped the wealthy it is factually untrue. It is factually true that 23 million small businesses file as individuals. It is factually true that small businesses create 70% of the jobs in this country. So I honestly won't even attempt to explain Barack Obama's economic plan. You ought to ask them that, though."
"This statement, while factually true, is terribly misleading since only a small percentage" of the 23M small businesses "would actually see tax increases" and the Obama camp argues that under his admin., small businesses "would benefit from his universal healthcare plan, offsetting any tax increases the top tier earners might see" (Newton-Small, "Swampland," Time.com, 7/7).
Like A Ridge Over Troubled Water
Ex-PA Gov. Tom Ridge (R) is hosting a $500/person fundraiser on 7/31 for McCain in DC.
The reception at the University Club will benefit the joint fundraising cmte set up to split funds between McCain's camp, the RNC, and a handful of state parties. Donors who give $1K "will have access to a private roundtable before the main event" featuring Ridge, ex-OK Gov. Frank Keating (R), ex-Rep. Asa Hutchinson (R-AR) and ex-CIA dir. James Woolsey (Martin, Politico.com, 7/7).
McCain will return to the St. Louis area on 7/15 for a fundraiser and a separate public event. The fundraiser will be at Hunter Farms -- the estate of Hunter Engineering exec. Stephen Brauer, "that has been a popular GOP fundraising locale for more than a decade" (Mannies, STLToday.com, 7/7).
McCain is also "due in the Hamptons" on 7/19 for twin fundraisers hosted by William Mack and Barry Schwartz, respectively. The cash raised from these events will benefit McCain Victory '08 (Benjamin, "The Daily Politics," NYDailyNews.com, 7/7).
Meet Me In St. Louis
MoveOn.org will host an anti-McCain rally in St. Louis, MO, on 7/9, which "is to coincide with some 200 others around the country."
"A release hints at the major criticisms that will likely be aired at the protest; MoveOn says McCain basically in the pocket of major oil companies. The event is being billed as a rally for an 'Oil-Free President'" (Jadhav, STLToday.com, 7/7).
The Rest Is Still Unwritten
New York Observer's Kornacki writes, the story of McCain and Sen. John Kerry (D-MA) "used to be almost heartwarming, a tale of post-Vietnam reconciliation between two veterans whose experiences led them to remarkably different conclusions about the war and the government that sent them into it. But now it seems like that chapter was never written, and Kerry and McCain are back to being culture war foes, unable to understand one another -- and uninterested in trying to" (7/7).
For more on Kerry, see 7/7 Hotline.
Just Say Yes
Jonah Goldberg writes, McCain has "a potential opening" to "exploit" against Obama. Obama "would be a Dr. Yes for the left-wing base," some of whom "have recently called for nationalizing the oil industry. Would Obama say 'no' to Maxine Waters? To Nancy Pelosi? Or would he respond to their entreaties with his trademark slogan (borrowed from Cesar Chavez no less): 'Yes We Can!'" (Townhall.com, 7/8).