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ADMINISTRATION: Investigating The Investigators
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Also Featured on NationalJournal.com |
Thursday, April 17, 2008
  The Aye-rs Have It You weren't surprised that it took almost an hour for the debate to get into policy were you? After 20+ meetings and countless "forums" there's nothing substantive left to debate. Instead, we're left w/ scuffles over handwriting analysis and 60's radicals. Even so, will Obama's uneven appearance stop his PA momentum in its tracks? --A debate on policy, of course, is where HRC shines. Unless it's about driver's licenses, of course. But, we've also seen that mastery of policy details isn't enough to capture Dems attention (see: Biden, J. and Dodd, C.) --Obama was pressed hard (unfairly so, say 'netroots). Still, he had a great opportunity to put to rest concerns about whether he can handle pressure under fire. And, well, he didn't. He was flat, tired and seemingly distracted. For Dem voters open to supporting Obama but worried about whether he's a "safe" choice for 11/08, his performance gave them little reassurance. --So, we're back where we started, with neither candidate able to find that magic "tipping point" that will close the book on the never-ending primary. Even so, had Obama hit a home run, but still lost PA 4/22, what would that have told us?
 -- Obama strategist David Axelrod, on 4/16's debate, MSNBC, 4/17 |
Just A Bit Off The TopZogby has Obama and HRC tied in PA; Obama at 50% in Gallup tracking but his lead now in single digits. (#8), (#9)
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IN A CLOSE ELECTION, EVERYTHING MATTERS Presidential trivia expert Richard Lederer notes in the Concord Monitor that Hillary Clinton (at 5'8.5") would be taller than 10 previous presidents, while Barack Obama would be only our 6th brown-eyed pres. | |||||||
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McCain: "Well, I didn't know John was running, so I guess he will have to speak for himself. But I invite John to come out with me on the campaign trail. I out-campaigned everybody else, and that's why I'm the nominee of my party. I can certainly out-campaign either Senator Obama or Senator Clinton. I would match my record and my schedule, not only now, but in the past, with anybody's. And I guess Congressman Murtha will have to speak for himself and his own condition." FNC's Cavuto: "In a race where they're very touchy about mentioning race as an issue, feminism as an issue, age is okay. ... What do you make of that?" McCain: "I'm outraged. It should be never mentioned. Look, I had to show my party in my campaign, not only my vision, but also my vigor and my strength. ... There's no time for on-the-job training, seriously. My response to Jack Murtha is, look, we need somebody that needs no on-the-job training, that knows the challenges we face, and can take them head on and hit the ground running" (FNC, 4/16). FNC's Barnes, on Murtha's comments: "Look, I don't think anybody has any illusions about McCain's age. They all know. ... I think that's a minor issue. He polls the weakest among older people, actually" ("Special Report," 4/16). McCain adviser Charlie Black: "I don't think it's much of an issue. If you talk to the reporters who cover McCain, who go out with him on 14 and 15-hour days, sometimes seven-day weeks, they see the energy level that tells them that age is not an issue. But, you know, think about it. Ronald Reagan won the Cold War during his second term when he was a lot older than McCain is now" ("Morning Joe," MSNBC, 4/17). Get Carter Also during the interview, McCain brought up Jimmy Carter's meeting with Hamas leaders. McCain: "The word that springs to mind is 'unacceptable.' And another one is 'disgraceful.' These are thugs and murderers. Senator [Barack] Obama and Senator Clinton should directly repudiate and tell President Carter he should not meet with what is fundamentally a terrorist" (FNC, 4/16). Obama spokesperson Bill Burton responded by saying: "Proving once again that the Straight Talk Express has lost its wheels, John McCain is repeating tired and divisive attacks about Barack Obama that he knows are flat out untrue. Barack Obama disagreed with President Carter's meeting with Hamas and has said so repeatedly, and we look forward to John McCain's clarification and apology for his latest false political attack" (release, 4/16). Philly Phanatic McCain appeared on Bloomberg TV this a.m., where he talked about last night's Dem debate. McCain, asked if he watched the debate: "No, I did not. I obviously heard some of the dissection of it and analysis this morning, but I did not watch it last night." Bloomberg's Cook: "Senator Clinton said last night ... that Senator Obama's comments about Pennsylvania voters ... also his connections to Reverend Wright that have drawn so much attention, that that would be ample ammunition for you in a general election. Is she right? Is that going to be fair game?" McCain: "In the case of Reverend Wright, I have expressed in the past that I am sure that Senator Obama does not share the extremist statements that Reverend Wright made. But in the case of Pennsylvania made, I think it's very revealing, a very elitist statement, a failure to recognize history. ... I note with some interest that Senator Obama basically defended those statements and continues to do to this day. So, yeah, I think it would be because that really is a fundamental difference between myself and Senator Obama about our faith and confidence and trust in the American people." Asked if he will have a single Dem opponent to take on after the PA primary: "I have no clue. You and I were last together in South Carolina. The relationship, as far as Senator Obama and Senator Clinton and their chances, were different than they are today. And I am sure the next time we get together, they may be different again. One thing about this primary season on both sides of the aisle, I think you would agree, it's very unpredictable, including in my case" (4/17). Go For The Green McCain also touched on climate change during the interview. Asked if he will support Sen. Joe Lieberman's (I-CT) bill that would cap and reduce greenhouse gas emissions about 63% by '50: "I will support if we have a dramatically increased role for nuclear power. The radical environmental groups are still playing too great a role in this legislation. Nuclear power has got to be a very big part of any effective action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. I am glad that Congress is moving." On Pres. Bush signaling for the first time he wants to stop the growth of greenhouse gas emissions by '25: "In due respect of the president, it is not enough, and it is too late" (4/17). A Three-Hour Economic Summit, A Three-Hour Economic Summit "Joined by a who's who" of Milwaukee area business execs., McCain spent "nearly three hours as questioner-in-chief" at an "economic summit" on 4/16. The event was held one day after McCain unveiled a plan to boost the nation's sluggish economy "that is based largely on a variety of tax cuts, including a summer 'gas tax holiday'" (see 4/16 Hotline). And on 4/16, McCain "settled in for two panel discussions" with the top execs. from A.O. Smith, We Energies, Northwestern Mutual Life, Froedtert Hospital and others -- "and asked as many questions as he answered." "In that regard, the event was meant to give McCain a statesmanlike role on a day in which Obama and Clinton met for a debate" in Philly. "It also amounted to a comfortable platform for McCain on the economy, an issue he has acknowledged is not his strong suit." McCain: "We know that America is facing challenges today. ... These are tough times now and [people] are hurting. I believe it's the responsibility of government to act quickly and decisively" (Borowski, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 4/16). Holiday, Celebrate Meanwhile, McCain sent letters to both Clinton and Obama on 4/16, calling on them to join him in supporting the McCain-Kyl Summer Gas Tax Holiday Amendment, which would suspend the 18.4 cents/gallon Federal gas tax between Memorial Day and Labor Day '08 (release, 4/16). Cool Hand Luke McCain's recent economic proposals "have been greeted coolly by some of his fellow" GOPers. "While generally supportive," cong. GOPers "are split on some of the details, including a plan to stem the tide of foreclosures and another creating a summer gas-tax holiday." When asked 4/15 for his reaction to the McCain plan, Senate Min. Leader Mitch McConnell said he was in the process of receiving the details of the gas-tax plan. McConnell: "Well, I just heard about it. ... We'll be thinking about it and see if it has any merit." Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN) said he supports elements of McCain's plan, including the reduction of the corporate tax rate. "But he opposes the gas-tax holiday because it would reduce money going to the highway trust fund, which provides money to local projects" (Raju/Kucinich, The Hill, 4/17). More from the response to McCain's economic proposals:
Three's Company McCain, who is basing his WH bid on "his credentials as a decorated veteran and leader on defense policy, has become the target of veterans groups pushing hard for more aid and relief for troops returning from" Iraq and Afghanistan. "At issue is a growing slate of legislation to boost veterans' education assistance and to rest troops between combat assignments." Two of the bills were written by Sens. Jim Webb (D-VA) and Chuck Hagel (R-NE), and would "substantially boost college assistance for returning war veterans," while mandating that troops "spend a month out of the combat zone for every month in it." A third measure introduced 4/16 would provide more education aid to Nat'l Guard members and reservists. "It is generally agreed that McCain is key to the bills' prospects for passage." And on 4/14, VoteVets.org delivered petitions with nearly 30K signatures to McCain's Senate office, "imploring him to back Webb's updated GI bill." McCain told reporters on his campaign plane 4/14 "that he is open to boosting educational benefits for veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, and is working with colleagues on language changes to the Webb-Hagel bills." McCain: "We are working on proposals of our own. I'm a consistent supporter of educational benefits for the men and women in the military. I want to make sure that we have incentives for people to remain in the military as well as for people to join the military." "All three measures could come up for votes this month or early next month" (Weisman/Shear, Washington Post, 4/17). Charles In Charge McCain will visit Tampa on 4/28 and 4/29 to hold two fundraisers and a public event concerning health care. The first fundraiser will be sponsored by FL Gov. Charlie Crist (R). And the next day, McCain will host a $1K/person fundraising lunch (March, Tampa Tribune, 4/17). Do The Right Thing Newt Gingrich sat down for an interview with GQ.com's Hylton, where some of the conversation focused on McCain. Gingrich, on how McCain should deal with Bush: "Sarkozy distanced himself from Chirac without being hostile. That's what McCain has to do with Bush. And what McCain is trying to achieve by explaining the dangers of the world to the public is like what Lincoln had to do in the Civil War." Hylton: "McCain doesn't exactly have Lincoln's rhetorical skills." Gingrich: "In style he's closer to Truman, who did not have the rhetorical skills, but had passion." Hylton: "Do you think that's enough against somebody like Obama?" Gingrich: "If you mean three weeks from now, I'd say no. But over the next eight months, I hope so. I think it'll be a question of whether people think McCain has the better argument. I f the issue is who's the better performer, Obama will win. If the issue is who is right, McCain will win easily" (4/16). If Only Rosie O'Donnell Was Still Around Cindy McCain will be a guest co-host of ABC's "The View" on 4/21. "There's no word on whether she'll be bringing any recipes to share" (AP, 4/16). Meanwhile, Wall Street Journal's Langley writes the latest profile of C. McCain. Some highlights:
Be It Ever So Hostile, There's No Place Like Home Lecturer/commentator Gebe Martinez writes in Politico, McCain, "the Latino-friendly senator, has morphed into McCain, the presumptive presidential nominee" of the GOP "that is hot over immigration." McCain "now talks only about border security 'first.'" So "add one more item to the list of reasons that Hispanic, immigrant and labor leaders plan to challenge" McCain's bid "in his own home state" in Nov. Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-AZ): "He is the standard-bearer for the party. He is the standard-bearer for the poisonous atmosphere aimed at immigrants. He has to carry some of that poison around. ... I think we have a chance to cause him to spend some serious time and resources in his own backyard" (4/17). When Has Infuriating Democrats Stopped Him Before? Meanwhile, discussion of Lieberman possibly speaking at the GOP convo (see 4/16 Hotline) continued. Newsweek's Fineman, asked the pros and cons of Lieberman giving a keynote address: "I don't think there are that many cons for him. Probably if he had a big choice to make, it would be for somebody who could help him more in the Bible Belt, perhaps, but Lieberman can help him there, too. So, I think it's something he'll probably end up doing. I think it will infuriate the Democrats, but I don't think it will help McCain all that much." More Fineman: "If Lieberman wanted to, he could turn the majority over the to the Republicans by switching parties. That's why Harry Reid and other Democratic leaders haven't been attacking him frontally for this conversation today" ("Countdown," MSNBC, 4/16). Lieberman: "It was a quick conversation but my feeling is once I decide that I'm for somebody, and I'm really for John McCain, ... you are in it all the way. And if John McCain thinks I can help his candidacy for president by speaking at the convention in Minneapolis, I'll definitely do it" ("Morning Joe," MSNBC, 4/17). What About Bob? Ex-Rep. Bob Barr (R-GA) may have launched a WH exploratory cmte as a Libertarian, but many remember him as a "vocal" House GOPer. Rep. Nathan Deal (R-GA): "I'm concerned that [Barr's candidacy] will detract from the Republican candidate and simply enhance the Democratic candidate." Columnist George Will went one step further, writing: "Come November, Barr conceivably could be to John McCain what Ralph Nader was to Al Gore in 2000 -- ruinous" (Alarkon, The Hill, 4/17). I Love The '80s Washington Times' Andres writes, McCain's "track record and personal style fit well into today's new electoral profile. Working with a smaller" GOP "base universe and a larger group of independent voters -- and possibly an augmented contingent of disgruntled" Dems, "bitter after a long and divisive primary" -- McCain "is positioned to perform well in this environment." "While this election is about change and the future, there are some aspects of the current electoral landscape that resemble"'80 "all over again." And "due to a nominee who knows this new terrain, it does give" the GOP "hope and a road map to potential victory" (4/17). (Back to Contents)
Overall, Clinton "sought to sow doubts in the minds of voters about whether Obama understands their problems and will be able to withstand" GOP attacks if he faces John McCain. On the other hand, Obama, after being "forced to defend" some of his past relationships, tried "to reassure voters by calling for an end to the politics of tearing each other down" (Lieberman, Harrisburg Patriot-News, 4/16). A War Of Words During this "tense and grim encounter," Obama "seemed on the defensive for much of the conversation about personal vulnerabilities." Here's some of what he said:
Where's The Gray Lady Leaning? On the front page of the New York Times this a.m.: "The result was arguably one of Mr. Obama's weakest debate performances" (Nagourney/Zeleny, New York Times, 4/17). MSNBC's Matthews, on the New York Times front page saying it was Obama's weakest performance: "I thought it was so rare that the Times ... would actually say who won or lost the debate right up in the front. They just say it, he lost. That's rare" ("Morning Joe," 4/17). NBC's Todd, asked if agrees with the New York Times assessment: "Absolutely. ... He didn't handle, I think, the tough questioning very well. He seemed annoyed by it. He seemed put off. And then he let it affect his performance when it went to the issues. ... I think he let folks see him sweat a little bit. ... The one thing they can be happy about is that she doesn't seem to benefit from these things some times, because when it's overly negative, it's like she's got reverse teflon" ("Morning Joe," MSNBC, 4/17). Morning Spin Obama strategist David Axelrod, on Obama: "I don't think he was irritated and annoyed other than that, you know, it was 50 minutes before a question on any substantive issue was asked. I mean, there we were in the constitution center, a few steps from where the great debates happened that led to our Republic. I think if the founding fathers had come back and watched this, they would have been scratching their heads, as were people all across Pennsylvania. ... I'm not going to whine about the questions in the debate, but I do think that there are things that are more important to people in that state and across this country" ("Morning Joe," MSNBC, 4/17). Clinton comm. dir. Howard Wolfson: "I thought it went exceptionally well for Senator Clinton. It did not go particularly well for Senator Obama. I think Senator Clinton was clearly in command of the facts. She was great on the substance. She was poised and relaxed. Senator Obama was clearly very much on his heels, getting asked questions that he did not have good answers for. And it was clear win for us" ("Morning Joe," MSNBC, 4/17). I'm Not Bitter While Obama "found himself consistently on the defensive" from Clinton's attacks, with few exceptions "he chose not to go after his rival aggressively, even when he was asked whether voters considered her honest" (New York Times, 4/17). Getting Hammered Last night, Clinton "hammered" Obama. There was "no sign of a strategic softening during the somber but sharp-edged two-hour debate" (Thrush, Newsday, 4/16). Slate's Dickerson, on whether Clinton will benefit from attacking Obama over the bitter remarks: "Well, it doesn't look like she's doing very well this time around either. ... Her negatives have gone up, and there is this question of trust that continues to dog her. She may not be the best messenger for this line of attack" ("American Morning," CNN, 4/17). HRC supporter Lisa Caputo, on Obama trying to keep things positive and deflecting negative attacks: "At every opportunity when the offensive shots were coming in, either from the journalists or from Senator Clinton, [Obama] really kept trying to pivot off of it and say this is the kind of politics people aren't interested in talking about" ("LKL," CNN, 4/16). Ex-WH adviser David Gergen, on how Clinton didn't avoid negativity at the debate to improve her image: "I thought, tonight, she might change course some. I thought, frankly, she would move to a lighter place and try to talk more positively about the future. I was surprised that she continued to go negative on him, because I don't see the evidence. They must have internal polls, the only thing I can conceive of" ("AC 360," CNN, 4/16). Gergen: "I don't think we got much new out of this about Reverend Wright. ... Every time one of these potential criticisms came up, Hillary Clinton wanted to dig it in, and he wanted to get away from these kind of questions" ("AC 360," CNN, 4/16). But Can He Win? There was a "brief moment of lightness" when Gibson "asked whether either would endorse a proposal by Mario M. Cuomo" to promise that whoever wins the nod "choose the other as his or her running mate, and that the loser would accept." Gibson: "So I put the question to both of you: Why not?" The lengthening "silence from the two candidates was filled by the laughter of the crowd." Later, when Clinton was asked if she thought Obama could win the general, "it took two answers" before Clinton "answered whether she believed Mr. Obama could win." Clinton: "Yes, yes, yes." Adding: "I think I am better able and better prepared" (New York Times, 4/17). By agreeing that he could win the general, Clinton undercut "her efforts to deny him" the nod "by suggesting he would lead the party to defeat." Asked if Clinton could win, Obama said: "Absolutely and I've said so before" -- a "not-so-subtle dig at his rival who had previously declined to make a similar statement about him" (Fouhy, AP, 4/17). Time's Halperin, on Clinton admitting Obama is electable in the general election: "I think, in general, she was in a box tonight. She was forced to say, by the questioning, that she believes Obama is electable in a general election. And her problem is, her main argument, that she's making privately, and the only way she can stop the superdelegates and the delegates from going to Obama is to argue that he's not electable, based on some of these things that came up this evening. That contradiction, acknowledging he's electable, but trying to make an implicit argument that he's not electable, is impossible to do, and again, made more difficult by the fact that she's got her own problems to deal with" ("AC 360," 4/16). Gergen: "I do think that was one of the most significant statements in the debate, when she was asked, point-blank, is he electable, and she said yes, yes, yes. That's going to come back. I think the big question now is, does she tell anybody else in the future he's not electable? That is when it's going to come back to bite her. She starts making that comment privately, Harold Ickes is out making that argument privately, then there are going to be all sorts of questions about hypocrisy and one thing and another. So, I thought that was a very significant statement tonight" ("AC 360," CNN, 4/16). Slate's Dickerson: "She can never say out loud what she's been saying in private, which is that Obama is fundamentally flawed and can't win in the general election. She can't say that out loud, so she was forced to say, yes, yes, of course he can win. Well, that does undermine her last remaining argument with superdelegates which is he has such big problems that he can't beat McCain" ("American Morning," CNN, 4/17). Where They Agreed Clinton and Obama greed that "both have made their share of missteps." Clinton, on her Bosnia comments: "We both have said things that, you know, turned out not to be accurate. You know, that happens when you're talking as much as we have talked." And Obama said: "Sometimes (our) message is going to be imperfectly delivered because we are recorded every minute of every day. And I think Senator Clinton deserves the right to make some errors once in a while. Obviously, I make some as well" (Gilbert, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 4/16). Dickerson, on whether the issue will go away now that Clinton has apologized for her Bosnia remarks: "No, I don't think the issue goes away. ... Obama will claim, and his advisers certainly claim, that this is a part of the big trust problem for her, and that Americans may forgive this particular slip up, as glaring as it was, but that it points to her fundamental flaw that makes her fundamentally unelectable, and that is she doesn't tell the truth and that voters don't trust her" ("American Morning," CNN, 4/17). Small Talk Of The War During the debate, Clinton "reasserted her commitment to begin a pullout within 60 days even if military leaders counseled against it" (Woodward, AP, 4/16). Ex-WH adviser David Gergen, on Clinton's plans for the Iraq war: "Once again, I think Senator Clinton was more rigid on that question, absolutely. In fact, almost any time any public policy came up tonight, she said, this is what I will do, period, end of sentence. She left herself no wiggle room. Barack Obama at least said, listen, this is the mission. I'm going to change the mission, but, of course, I'm going to listen to the commanders on the ground about tactics. That gives him some flexibility about sort of what the -- how it would actually be done over what period of time. It may well be he will have a different general on the ground" ("AC 360," CNN, 4/16). I'm Doing You A Favor, Buddy During the debate, Clinton "hit Obama hard." Clinton: "What is important is that we understand exactly the challenges facing us in order to defeat [Republican Sen. John] McCain." Coming back to Ayers, who was quoted by the New York Times as saying "I feel we didn't do enough" when asked if he regretted the group's bombings in the '70s, Clinton said: "This is an issue that certainly the Republicans will be raising" (Lucey/Davies, Philadelphia Daily News, 4/17). Clinton as essentially pressing the argument that "Obama hasn't been vetted enough to withstand" GOP attacks." Whereas Clinton's been tested, she said: "I have a lot of baggage, and everybody has rummaged through it for years. We know that they're going to be out there, full force." Obama replied: "there is no doubt that the Republicans will attack either one of us." Obama also said: "I can take a punch. I've taken some pretty good ones from Sen. Clinton" (Gillman, Dallas Morning News, 4/17). I, too, Am Related To A Mill Worker Clinton, who has "paternal roots" in Scranton "but now lives in an affluent suburb" of NYC, "sharply criticized Obama for his remarks about" small town PA voters. Clinton casted herself as the "granddaughter of a factory worker from Scranton," and said she did not believe "that my grandfather or my father or the many people whom I have had the privilege of knowing and meeting across Pennsylvania over many years cling to religion when Washington is not listening to them." In response, Obama "acknowledged" that his remarks "might have been offensive to some, but said they were misconstrued." Obama: "The problem we have in our politics ... is that you take one person's statement if it is not properly phrased and you just beat it to death, and that has been what Sen. Clinton has been doing over the last four days" (Micek/Drobnyk/Kraus, Allentown Morning Call, 4/17). Thanks George, You Owed Us One Washington Post's Shales writes, ABC News anchors Charlie Gibson and George Stephanopoulos "turned in shoddy, despicable performances." For the first 52 minutes of the debate, the moderators "dwelled entirely on specious and gossipy trivia that already has been hashed and rehashed, in the hope of getting the candidates to claw at one another over disputes that are no longer news. Some were barely news to begin with." Gibson "sat there peering down at the candidates over glasses perched on the end of his nose, looking prosecutorial and at times portraying himself as a spokesman for the working class." Whereas the "boyish" Stephanopoulos looked like "an overly ambitious intern helping out at a subcommittee hearing, digging through notes for something smart-alecky and slimy." To Shales, "ABC's coverage seemed slanted against Obama" (4/17). Clinton "got the kind of debate conditions she wanted:" A heavy focus on Obama's "problem spots. There was even a "twist thrown in when Obama was grilled about his relationship with" Ayers. This was "the ground of Clinton's choosing, a debate as much about the issue of electability as the issues of the day. And Obama withered a bit in the spotlight" ("Horserace," CBSNews.com, 4/17). Others Saw It Differently New York Times' Stanley writes, Clinton was "under attack" from her ex-friend/ex-WH aide, Stephanopoulos. It was "weird to see hints of the disgruntled employee/imperious boss dynamic between" Stephanopoulos and Clinton. Still, there were moments when Clinton and Stephanopoulos "seemed back to their old war room sync." Like when Stephanopoulos asked Obama "about his ties" to Ayers and Clinton "took up where" Stephanopoulos "left off" (4/17). FNC's Hannity: "All credit finally to ABC News and George Stephanopoulos and Charlie Gibson because they asked them very tough questions. Finally the media asked [Obama] about Bill Ayers. ... He gave a pathetically weak answer. They finally asked him about Reverend Wright and some of the inconsistencies here" ("Hannity & Colmes," 4/17). CBS' Greenfield: "I actually think it was pretty rough on Obama. I don't think 'Saturday Night Live' is going do a sketch about how in-the-tank these guys were for him. They went after on all the vulnerabilities that emerged in the recent weeks" ("Early Show," 4/17). Speak For Yourself Stephanopoulos on his choice of questions: Stephanopoulos, on asking Clinton whether Obama could win the general: "Her campaign and Senator Clinton herself have been making the argument to superdelegates that Barack Obama can't win. In public, she was caught in a little bit of a bind. On the one hand, she didn't really want to admit that he could win. On the other hand, she calculated. And I think she was right in this calculation that if she didn't say directly yes at some point, Democrats would blame her. They would say she's being too negative, she's not allowing the parties to come together. She had no choice in the end but to say, yes, he can win. And, of course, you saw him do exactly the same thing." Stephanopoulos, on Obama bringing up Clinton's "elitist" comments in '92: "That was a really interesting moment for Barack Obama. First of all, I think that Senator Clinton was surprised that he brought up tea and cookies, but then used it as a way to set the issue aside. He also passed up an opportunity to question Senator Clinton's credibility and said he didn't want to do that. Now, she did not pass up opportunities to go at his past. ... Now, I just got word from the Obama campaign this morning. They say that some ... prominent Pennsylvania supporters are going to switch sides this morning from Clinton to Obama, because they perceived her as being too negative last night" ("GMA," 4/17). The Stupid Economy The most "substantive policy debates" came over Obama's proposal to "nearly double" the capital-gains tax rate from 15%; Clinton "said she would not raise the tax on investors to more than 20%, if she raised it at all." Clinton also "touted her plan to freeze interest rates on subprime mortgages" and "create a moratorium on home foreclosures as a way to stem the housing crisis." Clinton, on taxes, said: "I don't want to raise taxes at all" (Chozick/Timiraos, Wall Street Journal, 4/17). CNN's Crowley, on how Clinton's and Obama's economic plans will play to voters: "I think it plays very well in the primary. I think their problem is going to be when they get to a general election, whichever one gets there. You will see the Republicans and John McCain going after it, particularly, I think, on Iraq. He will talk again about the calamity that would happen if you pull troops out. I think they will talk about the idea of no new taxes. Now, as far as we know, John McCain, being a Republican, is also for no new taxes. I think one way around this for Clinton and Obama may be the definition of middle class. But I agree that they have really boxed themselves in. All I could think of while listening to this was George Bush 41 and that 'no new taxes,' you know, 'read my lips statement, which pretty much cost him the reelection" ("AC 360," 4/16). Time's Halperin: "Well, in the case of the taxes, I don't believe that ... either of them has been as explicit as they were asked to be tonight. And, on Iraq, their spokespeople had gone further than they have, in both cases, for being very emphatic about withdrawal from Iraq. In the case of the general election, I think their Iraq statements could be a real problem. And if either of them is elected president, in the Oval Office, they're going to face potentially excruciating choices on those two big issues if circumstances are changed, when they have got to go back on a very clear pledge on Iraq, and then again on the question of whether taxes would be raised on people making less than $250,000 a year" ("AC 360," CNN, 4/16). Crying Over Spilled Ink A wrap up of what some newspaper columnists thought about the Dem debate:
Obama and Clinton "have bashed free trade, promising to slow new agreements, renegotiate existing ones and punish China," with which the U.S. had a record $256B trade deficit last year. The two "also advocate greater supervision of financial markets and have devised plans to assist homeowners in danger of default." Dems "in all three states had a negative view of trade," with 58 percent in IN, 55 percent in PA and 61 percent in NC "saying it has hurt the economy. At least three in 10 in each state say it hurt a lot" (Benjamin, Bloomberg, 4/17). Club for Growth pres. Pat Toomey writes in the Philadelphia Inquirer, with all the NAFTA-bashing, "it is easy to forget that there was a time" when the Dem party "was not reflexively protectionist." Bill Clinton "deserves credit for shepherding the largest free-trade agreement in the Western Hemisphere through Congress." He "was right." Since NAFTA's inception, "bilateral commerce among" the U.S., Canada and Mexico "has more than tripled," from $297B to $930B. PA "is one of the country's top exporters to Canada and Mexico." Since NAFTA, PA has seen a 112% increase in exports to Canada, and a 160% increase in exports to Mexico. Moreover, in '93 the unemployment rate in the U.S. was 7.3%. Today it is 5.1%. "Do we really want to go back to the days of less commerce, fewer jobs, and higher unemployment?" (4/17). Wet The Sugar With Bitters, Mash Together With Orange And Cherry, Add The Rocks And Bourbon Wall Street Journal's Henninger writes, remember the culture wars? This week the Dems sued for peace. Time "was not long ago that" a Dem could have said folk "in small-town aAmerica" cling "to guns and religion and are hostile" to "diversity" with nary a peep from his party. Not now. "Obama was repudiated. Crushed. Media analysis suggested the damage could last til November." And before midnight, "Hillary was paddling down Whiskey River with the boys at Bronko's." Set "aside the controverseis over the name-brand religious-right leaders. Whatever one calls these people -- Reagan Democrats, the religious right, values voters -- their main beef was not with the election returns but with the manifest evidence that the big-city elites thought their beliefs and their lives were stupid. That is what died this week." Whatever he meant to say, Obama's small-town "cling-to" statement was the Final Condescension. Hillary's trip from Bronko's bar to Messiah College ratified drinkin' on Saturday night and prayin' on Sunday morning. "Certainly, both as president would stock the judiciary from the liberal flock. Conservatives should still pocket the fact that the awful culture war has been replaced by a legitimate political competition whos locus has moved rightward. What's left of the rancid war are guerillas in the Hollywood foothills, pot-shotting at Pat Robertson and other bogeymen. But at the big-league level of presidential politics, it's over. Say good-bye to the Michael Moore Mockathon. Say hello to the spirit in the sky" (4/17). Arizona Star's Parker writes, being effete "comes naturally" to Dems, though compared to Obama, Clinton "looks like a mud-bogger from East Texas." The truth is, Americans don't really insist that their presidents be as "ordinary" as they are. Only pollsters think they do. "But voters do like to feel respected, and Obama's San Francisco remarks sounded like contempt" (4/17). Wall Street Journal's Kopel writes, imagine a race of Pat Robertson versus James Dobson, "each of them appearing at organic grocery stores and Starbucks" throughout MA, "with each candidate insisting that he alone deserves to vote of gay-marriage advocates." An equally silly spectacle is taking place in PA, NC, IN, WV and KY, as Obama and Clinton "compete for the pro-gun vote" (4/17). Two Households Divided Against Themselves, Still Standing Meanwhile, Rep. Sanford Bishop (D-GA) endorsed Obama, became co-chair of his GA camp and "urged his wife to join the movement." Vivian Bishop "chose instead to become a leader" in the GA Women for Hillary Council. In contrast, Rep. David Scott (D-GA) and his wife, Alfredia, "started off together as Clinton supporters." But after Obama won "overwhelmingly" in the GA primary and in the 13th CD, Scott switched. His wife did not (Malone, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 4/16). (Back to Contents)
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A meeting of "several newspaper industry" groups "forced" Clinton "to explain her failure to deliver the couple of hundred thousand jobs she promised upstate [NY] when she first ran" for the Senate. HRC "admitted the number of jobs promised was 'a little exuberant,'" but said she had "expected" Al Gore "to be elected president and to continue most of the economic policies" of the Clinton administration. HRC: "I had every hope that Al Gore would be the president, and that we would build on the economic successes of the '90s. ... I was exuberant because I really believed we could create a lot more jobs, because I had thought, in particular, upstate New York hadn't had the opportunity to take advantage of some of the benefits, and be creative about how to do just that. Well, that didn't come to pass. And unfortunately, much of the positive economic policies that we saw in the '90s were slowly, steadily dismantled" (Shepard, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 4/16). The Bitter Truth Chicago Tribune's James writes, HRC "may not be getting the hoped for impact" from her attack ad in PA regarding Obama's "bitter" comments. "Our friends at HCD Research Inc. ... showed the ad to a group of 429 Democrats and independents. After being shown the ad, not many people shifted their views." "Polling has indicated that all the news coverage of Obama's controversial remarks and all Clinton's efforts to exploit them haven't changed the support levels for the candidates" in PA "or nationally. The results of the HCD study would seem to fall in line with the other data" ("The Swamp," 4/16). Attack Dog Finds Its Way Home Wall Street Journal's Mullins writes, "A pro-Clinton campaign group that sparked controversy" for a TV ad before the OH primary "is back. This time, [The American Leadership Project] is running a commercial" in PA "that trashes" Obama's health-care plan. The group "set off a firestorm when it was founded two months ago. Campaign lawyers for Obama said the group was a thinly veiled attempt by Clinton backers to get around limits on financial contributions. Several of the people involved in the effort have strong ties to Clinton and her husband" ("Washington Wire," 4/16). Outsourcing Security HRC's second ad to air in IN "blames" Pres. Bush for the move to China of an IN plant that made magnets for smart bombs. HRC: "George Bush could have stopped it, but he didn't. American workers should build America's defense." "Magnequench moved its equipment to China" in '03. "But the sale of the company to a Chinese consortium was approved" in '95, "during the Bill Clinton administration." (In '88, "Congress gave the president authority to block foreign acquisitions that could threaten national security.") Clinton spokesperson Jonathan Swain "said the 1995 deal was approved because the company promised to keep production" in the U.S. "When that didn't happen, Swain said," Sen. Evan Bayh (D-IN) and Rep. Pete Visclosky (D-IN) "asked the Bush administration in 2003 to review the old approval or take steps to block the move," arguing that "moving production raised concerns about maintaining a significant source of domestic production of rare-earth magnets." "Swain said Bayh and Visclosky did not get a response from the administration" (Groppe, Indianapolis Star, 4/17). Oil On His Hands New York Times's Bosman fact-checks HRC's attack ad against Obama regarding his claim of "I don't take money from oil companies" and his voting for "the Bush-Cheney energy bill." "Like Obama, Clinton accepts contributions from employees of oil companies. But she has not made a case of it in a commercial, as he did. The energy bill referred to was passed in 2005, and Obama did vote for it, arguing that it would help his home state because it encouraged ethanol. He has since been critical of the bill." The Clinton camp "is seizing a rare opportunity to take the high ground on campaign contributions. (Obama does not accept donations from Washington lobbyists; Clinton does.) And high gas prices resonate" in PA (Bosman, New York Times, 4/17). Low-Fare-Weather Friends "Few" of HRC's supporters in Congress "have responded to her pleas for cash since" Super Tuesday, when Obama "began to build his delegate lead. Nearly half her lawmaker backers have given nothing to her campaign, even though Obama's financial advantage has emerged as a major problem in states" such as PA. "Of the 94 lawmakers who have endorsed" HRC, 48 have given her money," but only 18 since her loss in IA, and only 8 since Obama's success on Super Tuesday. "Her allies on the Hill have, however, given hundreds of thousands of dollars" to the DCCC. "Most of those who gave money after Obama won more primaries on Super Tuesday represent New York districts and have incentive to curry favor" with HRC "even if she fails to become president." "Even fewer of Obama's supporters have given to him" since IA, "but his campaign has been awash in money." And "Obama is having no problem raising money, unlike" HRC, who has raised only $75M in the 1stQ, compared to Obama's $134M. "Lawmakers' contributions would make little difference because of the tens of millions both candidates have raised in such a short period of time. But the lack of contributions may also reflect the shallowness of their support" (Bolton, The Hill, 4/16). Swatting The June Bug Regarding the call by Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA) that the Dem race should continue no later than 6/3, NBC's Todd: "Why does Barney Frank's voice count a little bit extra? Well, he is a Clinton supporter and, by the way, the brother of one of the members of Hillary Clinton's kitchen cabinet, Ann Lewis. So, having him say this and others that maybe support the candidate who's trailing, come out and say, hey, this is got to be resolved pretty quickly in June, I think, tells you that that's the most probable end game because you've got a calendar issue" ("Countdown," MSNBC, 4/16). Clinton chair Terry McAuliffe "said he believes his party's presidential pick will be sewn up shortly after the voters have spoken in the 10 remaining primaries." McAuliffe: "I think it will be over in June" (Mann, Medford Mail Tribune, 4/17). Spotty Rhetoric "Older voters gravitate" to HRC "because they're too wise to be fooled" by Obama's rhetoric, B.Clinton told PA voters 4/15. B.Clinton: "I think there is a big reason there's an age difference in a lot of these polls. Because once you've reached a certain age, you won't sit there and listen to somebody tell you there's really no difference between what happened in the Bush years and the Clinton years; that there's not much difference in how small-town Pennsylvania fared when I was president and in this decade." "Last week, however," B.Clinton "seemed to suggest that older voters might be more absent-minded than wise. Defending [HRC's] faulty recollection" of Tuzla, B.Clinton: "When they're 60, they'll forget something when they're tired at 11 o'clock at night, too" (Helman, Boston Globe, 4/16). Hugh's That? "Retired steelworker Bill Callaway admitted he never heard of Hugh Rodham," HRC's younger brother, "before he was invited to a campaign rally" 4/16 in Cedar Creek Park, PA. But Callaway "said he was glad for an opportunity to get a firsthand taste of presidential politics so close to his Rostraver home." Callaway: "Hey, it's beautiful outside this afternoon, and it gives me a little break from watching my grandkids" Rodham "is probably best known as brother-in-law Bill's golfing partner. He also is known for accepting" $400K "in legal fees from clients" to lobby B.Clinton "for presidential pardons before he left office. Rodham eventually returned the money" (Peirce, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, 4/17). Rapid-Fire Rapport HRC "is about to walk into the lion's den" by appearing on "The Colbert Report" this p.m., "braving host Stephen Colbert's dry humor and his arguably Sen. Barack Obama-friendly audience for the first time." Colbert has "challenged" HRC and Obama supporters to donate to PA schools through DonorsChoose.org. More than 2.2K Obama supporters have "drastically outdonated" HRC's fans by contributing nearly $155K to PA schools in their candidate's name, while only 318 people have given just over $29K on behalf of HRC (Bellatoni, Washington Times, 4/17). Cementing Her Support On 4/16, HRC got the endorsement of the Operative Plasterers' and Cement Masons' International Association, a union representing about 45K workers. "It is the first endorsement Clinton has received from a national union in more than two months" (Marre, The Hill, 4/16). Cross-Gender Support The Clinton camp "released its list of female supporters in [NC] this week. Among the more than 100 names of female politicians, party activists and community leaders, one stood out -- that of Dana Cope... But Cope is a man." The list "also included the name of Ashley Thrift, a male lawyer" (Beckwith/Niolet, Raleigh News & Observer, 4/17). (Back to Contents)
DC Council member "and newly elected superdelegate" Harry Thomas Jr., "initially a supporter of" Hillary Clinton, announced he will cast his superdelegate vote for Obama. Thomas "received more than 100 phone calls and e-mails from constituents who feared" he would vote for Clinton "despite the city's overwhelming support of Obama in the Potomac Primary." Thomas: "After meeting with the candidates and listening to my constituents, I have to honor the 83 percent who support Barack Obama" (Stewart, "DC Wire," WashingtonPost.com, 4/17). Reps. David Price (D-NC) and Mel Watt (D-NC), who had supported John Edwards, endorsed Obama 4/16, and "both predicted" Obama's "bitterness" remarks would not hurt him in NC. Price said Obama was "simply stating the obvious." Watt said "that he's heard considerble backlash against" Clinton. Watt: "What I'm hearing is a lot of disappointment at the negativity, and the jumping on this and taking the words out and trying to parse them, that the Clinton campaign has done" (Dann, NBC/National Journal, 4/16). And OK superdelegate Reggie Whitten also endorsed Obama, saying, "I am certain Senator Obama will continue to build a broad coalition of Democrats, Independents, and yes, even Republicans. He unites us in the belief that without change in Washington, we as a nation cannot begin to address the challenges and opportunities of our future" (release, 4/17). Meanwhile, in non-superdelegate endorsements, ex-Sen. Donald Riegle (D-MI) endorsed Obama 4/16 (AP, 4/16). And 25 of SD's 35 Dem state legislators endorsed Obama 4/16, including the state House and Senate leaders (release, 4/16). You May Ask Yourself, Well, How Did I Get Here? The Philadelphia Daily News endorsed Obama, writing, "Contrary to Sen. Hillary Clinton's campaign slogan, we believe Barack Obama is more likely to be 'ready on Day One' to lead us in a new direction. .. We are frankly troubled by" Clinton's "assumption that her husband's administration and accomplishments were her own." Based on Obama's "experience in running a quarter-billion-dollar enterprise with thousands upon thousands of volunteers, we could expect an Obama administration to be well-managed and cost-effective, with the president choosing forward-thinking advisers committed to his program, demanding that they work as a team and pay attention to details. He would be steady and calm, given neither to irrational exuberance or outbursts of anger. He would make mistakes, that's for sure, but he could be expected to recognize them, adjust, and move forward. He would adjust his views to reality rather than trying to adjust reality to his views." Obama is a "once-in-a-lifetime candidate" whose admin "would lower the tone of the rhetoric that separates us" (4/17). Fuel To The Fire The pro-Obama SEIU "is joining the ad fray" in PA, airing ads starting 4/17 in Pittsburgh and Philly "that highlight the rising cost of gas and tout" Obama's ability to solve the problem. The ad "opens with a montage of people listing the exorbitant price" of a full tank of gas, "then pivots to drub the oil companies for the profits they are reaping." One man says, "Too many politicians are in the pocket of big oil." Another: "Barack Obama is different. He doesn't take money from PACs or lobbyists" (Cillizza, "The Fix," WashingtonPost.com, 4/17). Featuring The Bob Casey Caboose? Obama returns to PA 4/18 for a five-day "On Track for Change" tour, on which "he will visit communities across the state by rail, road, and air." Obama kicks off the tour 4/18 with town halls in Erie and Williamsport and a rally in Philly. He'll spend 4/19 "making stops across" southeastern PA "by train" (release, 4/16). Meanwhile, Obama heads back to NC today, where his "bitter" remarks "could resonate" (Christensen, Raleigh News & Observer, 4/17). We Still Have A Jewish Problem "Seeking to assuage fears that he is anti-Israel," Obama "pleaded his case in front of the local Jewish community" 4/16 at a Philly synagogue (Anburajan, NBC/National Journal, 4/16). Obama said he has a "kinship" with the Jewish community "that predates my political career and will extend beyond this particular election. Know that I will be there for you, just as I believe that you will be there for me" (Parsons, "The Swamp," Chicago Tribune, 4/16). "Over and over again," Obama "said that he strongly supports Israel and its positions." He also "re-read part of his race speech" where "he said that he denounced" Rev. Jeremiah Wright's comments on Israel. Obama said he "did not become aware of them until I started running for president," at which point "I had conversations with him, in which I shared with him my deep concerns" (NBC/National Journal, 4/16). Obama: "I want to be clear that not only do I absolutely reject the anti-American statements of my former pastor, I reject the anti-Israel statements as well" (Eichel, Philadelphia Inquirer, 4/17). Obama also "denounced" Jimmy Carter's visit with Hamas, "saying that there should be no discussions with a terrorist organization" (NBC/National Journal, 4/16). Obama: "We must not negotiate with a terrorist group intent on Israel's destruction" (Fouhy, AP, 4/16). Obama "spent the bulk of the 50-minute session answering questions" on Israel and Middle East policy. "In his closing comments," Obama "offered the thought that some of his problems among Jewish voters stemmed from 'scurrilous'" emails, from his middle name and from the historical tensions between African Americans and Jews (Philadelphia Inquirer, 4/17). Asked if he would become another Michael Dukakis or George McGovern, Obama said they're "both excellent men, but I'm a pretty darn good politician. I can give a pretty good speech and I can connect and inspire the American people in ways that have become apparent" (NBC/National Journal, 4/16). Meanwhile, CBN's Brody reports, the "main political adviser" to the leader of Hamas said in an interview "the other day," "We like Mr. Obama and we hope he will win the election. He has a vision to change America" (CBN.com, 4/17). And Wright "is expected to speak in Dallas" 4/27 to "celebrate the 25th pastoral anniversary" of Friendship-West Baptist Church's Rev. Frederick Haynes III (Dallas Morning News, 4/16). WH '08, Also Known As The Best Book Tour Ever Obama and wife Michelle released their '07 tax return 4/16, reporting a household income of $4.2M -- a "substantial jump" from the roughly $1M in income reported in '06, "due to a sharp increase in the sales of his books." The Obamas reported $3.9M net profit from books, "a sum that dwarfed their combined salaries" of $260,735. The Obamas paid nearly $1.4M in federal taxes, and contributed $240,370 to "various charities" (Zeleny, New York Times, 4/17). $50K went to the United Negro College Fund; $35K to CARE and $26,270 to Trinity United Church of Christ (Henderson, Newsday, 4/17). The release of his '07 returns comes as Obama "tries to contain" the controversy over whether he's an "out-of-touch elitist." But the Obamas' income for '07 "is still well below" the $20.4M reported by the Clintons (Timiraos/Farnam, Wall Street Journal, 4/17). MSNBC's Carlson, on the $4.2M figure: "Why did it take him so long to pay off his college loans?" ("Morning Joe," 4/17). No Silver Foot In His Mouth, Either On a three-city swing through IN 4/16, M. Obama "dismissed notions that her husband is elitist." M. Obama told a crowd of about 1K in Indianapolis, "There was no silver spoon in his mouth. His mother was an 18-year-old white woman raising a black kid in the 1960s" (Ruthhart, Indianapolis Star, 4/17). M. Obama said of her husband's camp, "He reached out to regular folks. His view of fundraising was $23 is just as important as $2,300. ... The grass-roots support for Barack looks like every segment of society" (AP, 4/17). Earlier 4/16, M. Obama told a crowd in Evansville, "Folks are struggling like never before. We shouldn't be surprised that people are cynical. There is a level of cynicism that comes when you feel like no matter how hard you work, no matter how much you do, you never catch up and you certainly can't get ahead" (Indianapolis Star, 4/17). M. Obama closed the day speaking to a crowd of 900 at Anderson Univ. (Kerman, Anderson Herald-Bulletin, 4/16). Asked in an interview if she's "in a difficult spot" being "in favor of women's issues," M. Obama said, "I don't see it like that. ... There is no sort of doubt or hesitation or feeling that a vote for Barack would be a vote against the issues of women. We need a candidate who's going to represent all the people, who's going to have the kind of passion, who's going to bring a different voice to the table" (Kerman, Anderson Herald-Bulletin, 4/16). Might Want To Check On That Next Time Obama supporter/Teamsters pres. James Hoffa has gotten a "decent reception" as he's campaigned for Obama in PA, but "at each stop, there were Teamsters who said they preferred Obama to Clinton, but weren't going to vote" because they were registered as GOPers or indies and missed the 3/24 deadline to switch. Hoffa himself "reacted with surprise" to the news that PA's was a closed primary "when informed of that by reporters during the tour" (MacGillis, "The Trail," WashingtonPost.com, 4/16). In Your Letter, Ooh, In Your Letter Obama "is downplaying concerns" raised by Sen. Arlen Specter (R-PA) "about the pace of the confirmation of judges." Specter had written to all the WH '08ers on the issue. In a letter released 4/16, Obama "said both sides were working to confirm" nominees, and deferred to Senate Maj. Leader Harry Reid and Judiciary Chair Patrick Leahy (D-VT). Though "only Obama has so far responded to Specter's letters," Specter "criticized him for deferring to Leahy and Reid" (Raju, The Hill, 4/16). No Direction Home In the press today:
And This Time, We Wouldn't Just Be There To See Bruce TV talk turned to the Bruce Springsteen endorsement: NBC's Russert: "Young Luke Russert. ... When he heard the words 'bitter' and the whole idea of clinging to faith and to guns, he said, you know, that's a Springsteen song. ... And it's kind of interesting when you think of those words and those kind of lyrics and the kind of people that Springsteen has written about, you understand how the timing may have been in an interesting way. Those comments may have motivated Springsteen to get into the race" ("Morning Joe," MSNBC, 4/17). MSNBC's Matthews: "When it comes to politics, Bruce obviously puts his time and energy where his heart is. In how many cities did Bruce Springsteen perform with the MoveOn.org during the Kerry campaign back in 2004? Thirty three cities Bruce Springsteen campaigned in, 33 cities performing for John Kerry. He will probably do as many for Barack Obama. Unfortunately for Hillary, she may have to replace the song she likes to use in her rallies, 'The Rising'" ("Hardball," MSNBC, 4/16). MSNBC's Scarborough: "You know, Wisconsin was close. We always say these endorsements don't mean anything, but when you're Bruce Springsteen and you are have a concert for John Kerry in Wisconsin ... and you draw 20,000, 30,000 people, who knows, it may carry a close state" ("Morning Joe," 4/17). (Back to Contents)
McCain "still represents the incumbent's party, and now supports two Administration policies he originally criticized- the Bush tax cuts and the Iraq War." The economy always matters when it has problems. The question this year is how it will effect the fall campaign. This election could be more like '92, "where long-term Administration weaknesses were on the voters' minds in the fall." But this election could be more like '80, where the outcome wasn't apparent until the end, and most pollsters missed it. "This year, the impact of the economy is yet to be seen" (4/16). Pimp My Ride Detroit News' Manny Lopez writes: "If you believe the candidates," MI's auto industry "now matters." Clearly, politicians "are trying to win a few votes. But it's broader than that. The Dems need America's union members to stick with them. Clinton is so desperate to prove she's got bluer blood than Obama that she's pimping the UAW-built SUV that she's chauffeured around in." McCain "knows he can rally against high gas prices to get a few needed crossover votes, even if that means alienating the right-wingers in his party." And Obama's "bashing of the auto industry in Detroit last year won't soon be forgotten." The candidates "are disingenuous. The have about as much interest in truly helping the auto industry as they do in drafting fuel economy or climate change legislation that's comprehensive." "If their interest in those things were real, they would have supported" Rep. John Dingell (D)'s comprehensive carbon tax proposal "that he floated last year in which he promoted a gas tax and carbon fee for all industries" (4/17). One More Strike And You're Out When Obama and Clinton released statements backing 2K Volvo strikers and slammed conditions of the VA plant, media outlets around the world picked up their comments. Mack Trucks vice chair Paul Vikner: "What [the candidates] were saying about all this money we invested here and what a lousy employer we are, I have to tell you, it set us back probably two or three years." Foreign companies with large American branches are increasingly "worried about a tide of protectionist sentiments" being made by lawmakers, candidates and lobbying groups. Many foreign companies "are realizing they must engage in Washington." The companies "believe their defensive moves are a necessity as politicians of all ideological stripes embrace more protectionist world views in response to increased American economic insecurity." So far, politics hasn't slowed long-term investments by foreign companies. But "there is a growing perception that the investment environment is worsening." In part, the fall is due to overall economic downturn. But executives also blame the U.S. legislative climate, "citing long-standing business lobby complaints about the high corporate tax rate, a litigation-friendly legal system and the high cost of health care" (Lerer, Politico, 4/16). Did Somebody Pass Gas? Chicago Tribune's Steve Chapman writes: "Obama and Clinton are pandering with a proposal to punish oil companies with a windfall profits tax. McCain has targeted the same group by urging a federal gas tax holiday from Memorial Day to Labor Day." One common defect of the candidates' measures, though "is that they would not actually reduce prices." Under Clinton's plan, if a company's profit rose above a specified excess level, the gov't would take 50% of the windfall- in addition to what it "reaps" from the existing corporate income tax. The expropriation "would deter investment in exploration and drilling by reducing the potential payoff." It would depress the supply of oil over the long run, which would push prices up, not down. McCain wants to stop collecting federal gas taxes for 3 months. Cato Institute energy analyst Jerry Taylor points out that prices are now at the level required to balance supply and demand. Cut prices by the amount of the gas tax, and consumption will rise, pushing prices back up. About the only effect would be to "transfer money" from the gov't "to the oil companies. If the oil companies don't deserve a windfall profits tax, neither do they deserve an additional windfall." The gas tax hiatus would also enlarge the federal deficit, since McCain would take general revenues to make up the loss to the highway trust fund" (4/17). Shame On You Chicago Tribune's Julia Keller writes: "Both [Dem] candidates have readily employed the rhetorical formulation of 'shaming' her or his opponent during public addresses." Earlier this week, Obama "irritated at" Clinton's "continued references to his alleged elitism, declared, 'Shame on her. Shame on her. She knows better,'" at a rally in PA. In 2/08, "Clinton's anger at Obama's depiction of her health care plan culminated to this: 'Shame on you, Barack Obama.'" And while shame is a venerable concept in child-rearing manuals and literary criticism, "somehow it sounds different when declaimed from a stage before multitudes." How did shame ever find its way into the middle of the brutal world of politics? "Dr. Arnold Goldberg is not surprised that shame is showing up on the campaign trail." Goldberg: "We are a shame-driven culture. We train our children by way of shame, embarrassment. It's noticed early in babies, who are easily humiliated. Shame is very effective." "Obviously, neither Clinton nor Obama expects the other actually to be ashamed. Political shaming is strictly for effect." Goldberg says what they're doing "is deliberately using a word they know will resonate with audiences. They're tapping into our deep familiarity with shame, into our discomfort with how shame feels, in order to isolate their opponent. Goldberg: "Shame is effective in politics because politicians are always trying to get you to join them in saying, 'We are all one,' but the other guy is isolated" 4/17). (Back to Contents)
WH '08 Primary Election Matchup
Now 4/14 4/13 4/12 4/11 4/10 4/9 4/8 4/7 4/6 4/5 4/4 4/3 4/2
B. Obama 50% 51% 50% 50% 49% 51% 50% 51% 51% 52% 49% 49% 49% 49%
H. Clinton 42 40 40 41 42 42 42 41 43 43 46 44 44 46
Other 1 1 2 2 1 1 1 2 2 1 1 1 1 1
Undec 6 8 9 8 8 6 7 6 5 4 5 6 6 5
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WH '08 Primary Election Matchup
Now 4/10
All Men Wom 35-54 All Men Wom 35-54
H. Clinton 45% 35% 53% 41% 47% 40% 53% 45%
B. Obama 44 50 38 47 43 48 39 40
Other 3 na na na 2 na na na
Undec 9 na na na 8 9 7 na
Which Candidate Would You Rather Which Candidate Would Be Most
Have A Beer With? Likely To Improve The U.S. Economy?
B. Obama 39% H. Clinton 47%
H. Clinton 38 B. Obama 38
Undec 15
Which Candidate Will Do More To
Which Candidate Understands PA Help Your Personal Financial
Better? Situation? Now 4/10
H. Clinton 58% H. Clinton 41% 41%
B. Obama 27 B. Obama 35 36
It Is The Economy A Los Angeles Times/Bloomberg poll; conducted 4/10-14 by Interviewing Service of America, Inc.; surveyed 623; margin of error +/- 4% (release, 4/17).
Regardless Of Your WH '08 Choice, Which Candidate ___?
All Men Women
Cli Oba Cli Oba Cli Oba
Would best handle health care 52% 29% 49% 31% 53% 29%
Better understands trade issues 52 28 46 32 55 25
Better understands U.S. economic issues 49 34 42 42 53 29
Would make best mil. commander-in-chief 44 39 38 48 48 34
Would change the ways of Washington 33 49 23 61 39 41
Has better foreclosure crisis solutions 32 27 29 26 34 28
Has more honesty and integrity 26 47 20 57 29 41
Which Issue/Problem Is The Top Is The U.S. Economy Doing Well/
Priority For WH Candidates To Badly? All Men Wom
Address? All Men Wom Very well 2% 3% --
Economy 55% 55% 54% Fairly well 8 8 8%
Iraq 46 43 49 Fairly badly 28 23 32
Health care 26 26 27 Very badly 58 58 58
Education 10 7 11
Terrorism 7 12 4 Will The U.S. Economy Play An
Immigration 5 5 5 Important Role In Your WH '08
Social issues 3 5 2 Choice? All Men Wom Wht Non-Wht
Environment 3 2 4 Yes 86% 83% 88% 90% 73%
Other/none 4 4 4 No 11 12 11 8 20
Is The U.S. In An Economic Has Free Int'l Trade Generally
Recession? All Men Wom Wht Non-Wht Helped/Hurt The U.S. Economy?
Yes 80% 80% 80% 83% 71% All Men Wom Wht Non-Wht
No 12 11 13 12 14 Helped 12% 15% 10% 12% 11%
Hurt 55 47 59 62 32
All In All, Was The Situation In No diff. 12 16 10 10 20
Iraq Worth Going To War Over?
All Men Wom Wht Non-Wht
Yes 10% 10% 11% 11% 7%
No 84 80 85 84 83
TV Respects Me ... It Laughs With Me, Not At Me "Forget Clinton and Obama." The "big winner" in PA is TV. PA took in a total of $13M in election-related TV spots. Philly alone had $7.7M. Clinton and Obama together will spend close to $5M on TV in the closing week. Philly stations will take in more than $2.5M, including $445K spent on cable -- "an impressive 17 percent." Cable's average for the 5 weeks running up to 4/22 is 22%. "Cable's advantage over broadcast TV is that is can target a specific geographic area, even a specific zip code." Comcast head Jim Gallagher: "Four years ago, I would have sung and danced on Broad Street for 10 percent. We're incredibly gratified." Along with news channels, "Clinton and Obama have bought spots on Lifetime, A&E, ESPN, BET, History Channel, Animal Planet, MTV, VH1, the Food Network and SCi Fi." "Obama continues to outspend Clinton here by moe than a 2-1 ratio. On Fox29, Obama "bought 30-second spots on every single Fox prime-time show for the week." He bought 3 spots "on powerhouse American Idol" at 22.5K a pop. "Idol was Clinton's only prime-time buy. She has one spot." The differential in Philly "is even higher in cable:" Obama bought $378K (22% of his total buy) and Clinton spent $68K (8%). (Shister, Philadelphia Inquirer,4/17). "Here's a glimpse into Hillary's ad strategy in the final stretch." In most of PA markets, the only TV ad Hillary is running right now is a negative one -- the spot hitting Obama over his 'small town' comments." A political ad buyer told TPM's Sargentthat as on 4/16 a.m., "that ad -- and no positive spots -- are running in the Pittsburgh, Erie, Johnstown/Altoona, and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton markets." Meanwhile, "the buyer says, in the Philadelphia and Harrisburg markets, Hillary's ad campaign is 50% negative." She is running "the new spot hitting Obama over oil companies" and another spot touting "plans to right the economy that doesn't mention Obama" (Sargent, TPM, 4/16). I'll Stand By You The Hill's Goddard writes, "Despite predictions by the chattering class that his suddenly public 'private comments' would cost him votes" in PA, "despite withering attacks on the stump" and "despite a quick attack ad rolled out" by the Clinton camp, PA voters "don't seem to be deserting Obama." The Real Clear Politics average of PA polls "continues to show the race tightening. Obama has gained 16 points on Clinton in the past three weeks." Clinton still leads by 8. "I feel pretty comfortable with saying Obama's music is in tune" (4/16). Going In Holding Their Noses Washington Post's Broder interviewed PA voters in Montgomery Co. before the debate 4/16. Teacher Martin Greenblatt had been a voting GOPer in a Philly suburb, but just registered Dem. "Greeblatt's story was one of many describing the strange journey that voters have taken to their current positions -- and the disquiet some of them feel about the votes they are about to cast." "While Clinton had more support in these interviews than Obama" (or John McCain), "it is obvious" all the time the candidates "lavished" in PA "has fueled more doubts than enthusiasm." Greenblatt, on McCain: "I don't like his war policy ... McCain just seems to want to keep it going." Greenblatt on Obama: "He hasn't the experience ... And I'm not happy with Reverend Wright." Greenblatt, on Clinton: "She is a tough lady. Lots of experience" but "she is not the best candidate we could have, just the best available" (4/17). It's Pat Dem voters in Carbob and Monroe counties and the rest of the 11th CD "may find themselves scratching their heads as they leave the polls" 4/22. "That's because their ballot will ask them to vote for a man as an alternate delegate" to the DNC "-- but there will be a woman's name there." Maria Ciuferri-Wansacz "will appear on the ballot just below where it instructs people to 'vote for one male.'" PA Dem Cmte exec. dir. Abe Amoros: "Her name will appear on the ballot. However, a male alternate will be selected." The DNC for decades "has divided up delegates to conventions by gender equally" (Layo, Allentown Morning Call, 4/17). In Your Face, Gardner Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's Shribman writes, "EAT your heart out, New Hampshire." You got 5 days between IA and your primary. PA is getting a full 5 weeks. In IA "they talk about ethanol." In NH, taxes. PA "is worried about rusty manufacturing industries." Today PA's "preoccupation, along with trade, is high-tech hospitals, and if you examine it carefully you might conclude that the medical industry is the new steel industry here." "But the truth is that, as Henry Higgins, who is not registered to vote in Pennsylvania, would put it, we've grown accustomed to their faces -- the candidates' that is. So the other day, when, by some fluke of scheduling, not one candidate was on town, people here were upset. Put off. Offended. Dissed. Betrayed, even. How dare they." It "struck me then." PA "had truly become" NH (4/16). (Back to Contents)
Regardless Of Your WH '08 Choice, Which Candidate ___?
All Men Women
Cli Oba Cli Oba Cli Oba
Better understands trade issues 48% 27% 50% 29% 47% 26%
Would best handle health care 41 34 42 33 41 34
Better understands U.S. economic issues 39 37 42 35 36 38
Would make best mil. commander-in-chief 29 37 30 39 28 36
Has better foreclosure crisis solutions 24 29 29 31 21 27
Would change the ways of Washington 22 51 20 58 24 45
Has more honesty and integrity 20 51 21 52 18 51
Which Issue/Problem Is The Top Is The U.S. Economy Doing Well/
Priority For WH Candidates To Badly? All Men Wom
Address? All Men Wom Very well 1% 3% --
Economy 58% 64% 54% Fairly well 13 14 12%
Iraq 38 41 36 Fairly badly 36 32 39
Health care 23 17 28 Very badly 49 50 47
Education 11 7 14
Terrorism 7 6 8 Will The U.S. Economy Play An
Immigration 6 7 6 Important Role In Your WH '08
Environment 3 4 2 Choice? All Men Wom Wht Non-Wht
Social issues 2 -- 3 Yes 81% 83% 80% 82% 80%
Other/none 6 6 6 No 12 13 11 12 11
Is The U.S. In An Economic Has Free Int'l Trade Generally
Recession? All Men Wom Wht Non-Wht Helped/Hurt The U.S. Economy?
Yes 81% 79% 82% 80% 83% All Men Wom Wht Non-Wht
No 15 18 13 16 13 Helped 20% 24% 17% 21% 19%
Hurt 58 57 58 58 57
All In All, Was The Situation In No diff. 6 8 4 5 7
Iraq Worth Going To War Over?
All Men Wom Wht Non-Wht
Yes 21% 21% 21% 22% 15%
No 72 74 71 70 83
(Back to Contents)
Regardless Of Your WH '08 Choice, Which Candidate ___?
All Men Women
Cli Oba Cli Oba Cli Oba
Would best handle health care 48% 28% 47% 30% 49% 26%
Better understands trade issues 44 29 43 28 45 29
Better understands U.S. economic issues 37 39 29 45 42 35
Would make best mil. commander-in-chief 28 45 23 51 32 40
Would change the ways of Washington 19 54 15 55 22 54
Has better foreclosure crisis solutions 19 28 16 37 21 21
Has more honesty and integrity 16 51 11 58 20 47
Which Issue/Problem Is The Top Is The U.S. Economy Doing Well/
Priority For WH Candidates To Badly? All Men Wom Wht Blk
Address? All Men Wom Wht Blk Very well 3% 3% 2% 2% 4%
Economy 56% 61% 53% 61% 44% Fairly well 11 11 11 9 16
Iraq 43 44 42 41 47 Fairly badly 30 24 35 33 23
Health care 23 17 27 24 20 Very badly 54 61 49 55 54
Immigration 6 6 6 8 --
Terrorism 6 6 6 7 4 Will The U.S. Economy Play An
Environment 4 5 4 5 4 Important Role In Your WH '08
Education 4 4 4 4 5 Choice? All Men Wom Wht Blk
Social issues 3 2 4 3 4 Yes 84% 81% 85% 84% 82%
Other/none 9 7 13 7 15 No 14 17 12 14 14
Is The U.S. In An Economic Has Free Int'l Trade Generally
Recession? All Men Wom Wht Blk Helped/Hurt The U.S. Economy?
Yes 81% 86% 78% 82% 80% All Men Wom Wht Blk
No 14 9 17 13 17 Helped 14% 22 9% 13% 16%
Hurt 61 61 61 63 57
All In All, Was The Situation In No diff. 9 7 10 9 9
Iraq Worth Going To War Over?
All Men Wom Wht Blk
Yes 13% 16% 12% 17% 4%
No 83 82 83 78 94
Drop What You're Doing! Early voting for the NC primary begins across the state today. "State law requires the county elections boards to open at least one site for early voting on the third Thursday before the election." In Mecklenburg, "it could remain one site until a week before the election -- when 17 more are scheduled to open -- unless the state elections board approves a plan to open five more sites next week" (Charlotte Observer, 4/17). Would They Dare? An Observer/WCNC survey showed 4 in 10 Hillary Clinton supporters in NC "said they'll vote for someone other than Obama" -- or abstain altogether from the general election -- should Obama win the Dem nod. 30% of NC Obama supporters said they wouldn't cast a vote for Clinton (Onge, Charlotte Observer, 4/17). We're No PA Charlotte Observer's Schulken writes, perhaps rural PA "is a whole lot different" than rural part of NC. Obama's "larger point is dead on. Small towns and people who live in them have taken a beating." "Are people who have been disadvantaged by those turns frustrated and bitter? I haven't asked them, but I'm guessing many are. Have they turned to shooting and praying xenophobia to explain their feelings? Maybe some have. But many, many, more have committed hopeful acts: They enroll in community colleges, start small businesses and pick up odd jobs to pay bills." "The fact is, resilience is a way of life in small-town" NC. "Resilience is a way of life. Bitterness is not. Someone who wants to be president need to demonstrate he know that better than Obama has" (4/17). (Back to Contents)
(Back to Contents)
| 4/17 | 4/18 | 4/19 | 4/20 | 4/21 |
-----------|-----------|-----------|-----------|-----------|-----------|
CLINTON |Haverford; |PA And NC: |NPE |NPE | |
|Philly,PA: |Event With | | | |
|Block Party|MayaAngelou| | | |
-----------|-----------|-----------|-----------|-----------|-----------|
OBAMA |Greenville |PA:"On |PA |PA |PA |
|NC:East |Track For | | | |
|Carolina U |Change" | | | |
-----------|-----------|-----------|-----------|-----------|-----------|
And the GOP field:
| 4/17 | 4/18 | 4/19 | 4/20 | 4/21 |
-----------|-----------|-----------|-----------|-----------|-----------|
MCCAIN |DC:Meets W/|NPE |NPE |Appears On |Birmingham,|
|UK Prime | | |"This Week"|AL: |
|Minister | | | |Reception |
-----------|-----------|-----------|-----------|-----------|-----------|
(Back to Contents)
Everyone's Got An Opinion These Days Mike Huckabee was on "Election Center" last night, where he discussed what type of running mate John McCain needs. Huckabee: "Well, it depends on what he believes he has to do to win. If his strategy is to go after maybe voters who are more either in the center or a little bit to the left, then maybe not. If he believes he's got to have the traditional base of the party, the evangelicals, the Catholics, the sort of foot soldiers out there knocking doors, then, yes, I think he does have to make sure that whoever his pick is, is going to be somebody that the conservative base of the party can rally around and give their heart to. But again, it all comes down to what the strategy is, and that will determine what the tactics will be" ("Election Center," CNN, 4/16). Financial Times' Freeland, on McCain saying he will not run with a pro-choice GOPer like ex-PA Gov. Tom Ridge (R): "I think that that really speaks to one of the issues that McCain and his team are worried about going into the general election. ... One of the things we have been seeing is him making a lot of effort to say to those people and evangelicals that he is with them. I think if he were to choose a pro-choice Republican as a running mate, that could exacerbate the problems he has with that group of voters" ("Hardball," MSNBC, 4/16). Not That He'd Mind Talking About It FL Gov. Charlie Crist (R), asked if there has been any more talk with McCain about the VP slot: "No, there's not. I'm trying to help him win and trying to fight for Florida" ("Hannity & Colmes," FNC, 4/16). (Back to Contents)
Midnight Special Law Collective's Greg Michalec wrote on the board: "Cops lie: Don't trust cops!" Midnight Special's Dan Spalding: "Miranda rights are the only good advice you'll receive from police, and you should take it." DNC People's Law Project chair Brian Vincente said his group is trying to recruit and train hundreds of 'legal observers,'" neutral individuals who arrive in clothing that announced their observer status and who bring video cameras to document any disruptions." Denver city atty David Fine: "I think it's always good to educate people about their First Amendment rights. I don't think it's helpful to portray the police in that light. Frankly, that's not the reality, so to the extent that's part of the training, it will give the participant a false sense of what their relationship will be like with police during the convention" (Plunkett, Denver Post, 4/16). (Back to Contents)
WH '08 General Election Matchups
Now 4/14 4/13 4/12 4/11 4/10 4/9 4/8 4/7 4/6 4/5 4/4 4/3 4/2
B. Obama 46% 46% 46% 46% 46% 46% 45% 46% 45% 45% 45% 45% 45% 45%
J. McCain 43 44 44 43 43 43 44 44 44 45 45 45 46 46
Other 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
Neither 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 4
Undec 4 4 5 5 5 5 5 5 4 4 4 4 4 5
Now 4/14 4/13 4/12 4/11 4/10 4/9 4/8 4/7 4/6 4/5 4/4 4/3 4/2
H. Clinton 46% 46% 46% 46% 46% 46% 45% 46% 46% 45% 45% 45% 45% 45%
J. McCain 44 44 45 45 45 45 46 46 46 47 47 47 46 47
Other 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
Neither 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 4 5 4 4 4 4
Undec 4 3 4 3 4 4 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3
(Back to Contents)
WH '08 General Election Matchups
All ClintonPVs All ObamaPVs
J. McCain 44% 17% J. McCain 53% 31%
B. Obama 38 57 H. Clinton 33 53
Other 3 13 Other 1 --
Undec 12 -- Undec 10 7
(Back to Contents)
WH '08 General Election Matchups
All ClintonPVs All ObamaPVs
J. McCain 51% 22% J. McCain 59% 33%
B. Obama 34 61 H. Clinton 30 50
Other 3 8 Other 3 4
Undec 9 8 Undec 6 10
(Back to Contents)
In a "contentious" Senate Approps Cmte hearing, Dems and GOPers "expressed frustration" with the admin.'s demand that Congress provide by Memorial Day $108B in an emergency-spending bill to cover operations in Iraq and Afghanistan -- without added domestic funds. WH OMB dir. Jim Nussle told the cmte he would recommend that Pres. Bush veto a bill that came in at more than $108B or included such domestic spending items. Nussle: "The president has made clear that he will veto any attempt to hijack this much-needed troop-funding bill." Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) said she would have a "very hard time" voting for the bill the admin. wants, "knowing that we need to do some things to protect our own people. I can't do it, it just isn't right and it's not why we came to this place." Meanwhile, "the conflict is exacerbated by election-year politics and the U.S.'s worsening economic picture." Just before the hearing, several top Senate and House Dems held a presser where they highlighted the domestic items they could fund with the $434M/day they said is being spent in Iraq (Lueck, Wall Street Journal, 4/17). (Back to Contents)
Feeling left out? We'll be happy to add your clients too, we just have to have confirmation! Email us any updates, additions, or corrections.
DIRECT MAIL
-------DEMS------- -------GOPERS-------
Mission Control No Information Available
Polis, Jared (D-CO-02)
MEDIA
-------DEMS------- -------GOPERS-------
Allan B. Crow & Assoc. Doug Raymond Prod.
Lujan, Ben Ray (D-NM-03) McLaughlin, Doug (R-NC-03)
Campaign Group
Polis, Jared (D-CO-02)
POLLSTERS
-------DEMS------- -------GOPERS-------
Anzalone Liszt Public Opinion Strategies
Childers, Travis (D-MS-01) McCain, John (R-WH '08)
(Bill McInturff)
Momentum Analysis
Shulman, Dennis (D-NJ-05)
Ridder/Braden
Polis, Jared (D-CO-02)
INTERNET
-------DEMS------- -------GOPERS-------
No Information Available No Information Available
TELEPHONES
-------DEMS------- -------GOPERS-------
No Information Available No Information Available
GENERAL
-------DEMS------- -------GOPERS-------
No Information Available No Information Available
(Back to Contents)
What was your first job? Besides all those typical high school jobs -- cleaning, catering, babysitting, waitressing, scooping ice cream -- my first job was as a canvasser for PIRG-IM, the only PIRG in the nation that has our state initials at the end -- Public Interest Research Group In Michigan. We canvassed in the Detroit suburbs on toxic waste issues. What is your proudest moment professionally? Helping Ned Lamont win the Democratic primary in Connecticut's U.S. Senate race. I believe our victory changed the entire tenor of the national debate on Iraq in that election and gave Democrats nationally the courage to speak out more clearly and more strongly about the need for the U.S. to end the war there -- and I think their strong words on Iraq helped propel them to win more seats in the House and the Senate. I hope Ned runs again because he would be a principled and important leader in the U.S. Senate -- or whatever office he seeks. What one event in a candidate's past would pose the biggest problem in a campaign? Anything they are trying to hide that they think no one will find. Sadly the headlines are filled with exposed public figures lately, and while sex-capades lead the headlines, virtually any kind of misstep can end a campaign or career if it was hidden or lied about. Best thing for candidates to do is be realistic and up front with their campaign team -- then inoculate themselves ahead of time so it's not a surprise later. If you could be in any other line of work, what would it be? A pre-school teacher. I have a four-year old and a one-year old and hanging out with them, their friends, and their cousins, is the most fun in the world. Negative campaigning -- good or bad? That's like asking whether gravity is good or bad. It is what it is -- an irresistible force that must be accounted for in all campaign planning and strategizing. Negative campaigning takes place because it works. Think about two neighbors gossiping over the back of the fence -- you could talk for one hour about all kinds of nice things, but when you go back inside the one thing you'll repeat to your spouse is: "Can you believe....?" -- and what you relay won't be that Johnny got an A+ on his math test. Where is your happy place? Truro, Cape Cod. I spent summers there growing up and have been every summer since I was born. Now 42 years later, my childhood friends and extended family continue to come together each summer, with children, grandchildren, cousins, nieces and nephews all making sand castles, chasing crabs, eating vanilla soft serve ice cream and clam chowder, just as we did when we were little. For those who know Cape Cod -- once every summer, our children wear their pj's to dinner at PJ's in Wellfleet, then we pile back into the car for popcorn at the drive-in theatre. What is your favorite restaurant to meet clients? One of the things about being an outside-the-beltway consultant is that I rarely meet clients in a restaurant. I almost always travel to their campaigns to meet with them on the ground, meet their kitchen cabinet and their team, and we meet in their campaign HQ or their living room or the conference room of a local supporter. What campaign (past, present or future) would you most like to be a part of? I would have to say the campaign of the first viable openly gay or lesbian candidate for president. I think it is a real human rights issue and I hope that in a relatively short time in our nation's history (10 years? 20 years?) a majority of voters nationally will come to view gay and lesbian candidates as just regular folks to be judged on their merits like anyone else. I'd love to have that election so we can move forward as a nation. What is the ideal number of clients to have at one time? As a pollster, what's more important than the number of clients is the workflow. In an ideal world I'd have two polls a week, 50 weeks a year -- no more, and no less. What firm/individual who does your kind of work for the other party do you respect the most, and why? I have a lot of respect for the folks on the other side of the aisle who so carefully develop those resonant terms that nearly win the debate as soon as they are out in the public arena -- the car tax, the death tax, etc. Democrats have a long way to go still at developing and communicating similarly strong, clear, simple terms of a debate. Though with minimum wage and McCain's 100-year war, we're getting better. What is the first section of the newspaper you read? The business section. When I was young I thought it was boring, but as an adult it seems to be the only place where real news is reported. Despite their obvious bias, I also read the Wall Street Journal because their news coverage on the convergence of business and politics is generally excellent. I must say -- being on the West Coast for 10 years after being in D.C. for 10 years, I dearly miss the Washington Post, which covers the convergence of politics and policy like no other paper in the nation. If you could only watch one news show, what would it be? CNN We're ending this feature with a question posed by the last interviewee. This is from Strategic Media Placement Inc.'s Nick Everhart: Upset, surprise, shocker of the year that nobody is talking about yet that you see coming this fall at any level? I turned to my brilliant partners, Paul Goodwin and Donna Victoria, for ideas on this one. Here's our shot -- the tremendous surge in Democratic turnout this November will not only elect Obama as President, but will also put over the top some ballot measures that only a few years ago people would have never thought possible. In 2007, our polling and strategic advice helped pass Washington's Referendum 67, the first referendum to pass there since 1968 and one of only 6 (of 66 filed) to pass since 1914. We think record high turnout may bring some more surprise results on ballot measures in 2008. Pose a question for the next interviewee. What advice do you give to candidates about how to deal with their spouses and family? (Back to Contents)
Conservative bloggers, in contrast, were pleased by Gibson's and Stephanopolous' questions. While they think that Hillary Clinton came off looking better than Obama, most of them are convinced that John McCain was the real winner of the debate. Liberal bloggers agree with the latter point, which is why the criticism of Clinton's tactics is growing louder and louder. DEM DEBATE: And We've Reached A New Low Liberal bloggers overwhelmingly thought this debate was the worst of the cycle:
DEM DEBATE II: Who Wrote The Questions -- Sean Hannity?! Liberal bloggers are furious about Gibson's and Stephanopolus's debate questions, which they perceived as having an obvious right-wing slant:
DEM DEBATE III: ...Actually, Yes, Hannity Did Write One Of The Questions As The Huffington Post's Linkins reports, Stephanopoulos appeared on Hannity's radio show on Tuesday and started "taking notes" while Hannity dictated questions that he wanted Stephanopoulos to ask Obama. Democratic Underground's Emit was one of the first bloggers to report this: "George Stephanopoulos was just on the Sean Hannity Radio show getting all chummy with Hannity. [...] Hannity asked George what kinds of questions they'll be asking at the debate tomorrow and they discussed a few things. When Hannity asked about the first question below about Ayers and whether George had plans to ask such a question, George replied, 'Well, I'm taking notes now Sean.' It did actually sound like he was pausing to take notes. And Hannity continued to feed him more:NRO's Mark Hemingway passes along an email from a reader who confirms this discussion between Hannity and Stephanopoulos: "You can thank Sean Hannity for that question. Steph was on his show yesterday and Sean really hammered the point that no one in the media had asked Obama about Ayers. Stephy said he was writing down all the info Sean gave him." Also on Tuesday, NewsBusters' Noel Sheppard reported that Stephanopoulos was interviewed by WOR Radio's Steve Malzberg, who also suggested that Stephanopoulos ask Obama about Ayers (audio here). Stephanopoulos replied, "It's a damn good question." Naturally, Obama's online supporters are furious that Stephanopoulos -- whom many have pointed out is a former Clinton aide -- was repeating questions given to him by right-wing radio hosts:
DEM DEBATE IV: How Does It Feel Now, Obama? Not every liberal blogger was outraged by the debate. Pro-Clinton bloggers felt that Obama finally received the tough questions from debate moderators that Clinton had been receiving throughout the campaign:
DEM DEBATE V: Now, Those Are My Kinds Of Questions! Conservative bloggers, in contrast, thought the debate moderators did an excellent job:
DEM DEBATE VI: The Real Winner? McCain! Conservative bloggers thought that Obama had a worse performance than Clinton, but that McCain was the real winner:
DEBATE CLINTON: I'm Just Showing You What The GOP Will Do Liberal bloggers were also disgusted by Clinton's debate performance:
DEM FIELD: The Electability Debate...Part 12,583,457 Liberal bloggers continue to compare Obama's electability argument with Clinton's:
OBAMA: Winning The Coveted Hamas Endorsement Conservative bloggers are buzzing about comments made by Hamas political advisor Ahmed Yousef about Obama: "'We don't mind -- actually we like Mr. Obama. We hope he will (win) the election and I do believe he is like John Kennedy, great man with great principle, and he has a vision to change America to make it in a position to lead the world community but not with domination and arrogance,' Yousef said in response to a question about the group's willingness to meet with either of the Democratic presidential candidates."
CLINTON: All Negative, All The Time Liberal bloggers are discussing TPM's Greg Sargent's report that "[Clinton's] TV ad campaign is now 100% negative in most Pennsylvania markets":
THOUGHT OF THE DAY: A Modest Proposal Yglesias: "How is it that we can't have our Republican primary debates moderated by conservatives and our Democratic debates moderated by liberals? Doesn't it seem like a panel of progressives might have a better sense of what Democratic primary voters want to hear about? The Republican Presidential Debate with Rich Lowry and Bill Kristol, the Democratic Presidential Debate with Harold Meyerson and Katrina vanden Heuvel -- something along those lines." LEST WE FORGET: Chinese Class Clown Executed From The Onion: "BEIJING -- Known among schoolmates for his spirited antics and ability to make light of almost any situation, classroom jokester Wei Xiang, 11, was put to death by the Chinese government for drawing a mustache on an image of Education Minister Zhou Ji in one of his textbooks, sources reported Monday. 'An enemy of the state has been dealt with accordingly,' government spokesman Xu Qi said following Wei's execution by firing squad. 'Let this be a lesson to other children considering wising off or otherwise wasting valuable class time.' The fifth-grader previously served a six-month term in solitary confinement at Qincheng Prison after referring to the Tang Dynasty as 'the Stank Dynasty' during a history lesson in 2007."To read the unabridged edition of the Blogometer, visit http://blogometer.nationaljournal.com. Questions, comments, reservations? Drop us a line at blogometer@nationaljournal.com. (Back to Contents)
Udall spokesperson Taylor West: "We know of absolutely no connection between the contributions and Abramoff's operations." She "said Udall would give the money to a Saipan-based organization that helps victims of human trafficking." Schaffer mgr. Dick Wadhams called Udall's decision "insincere" because "he held that money for six and eight years." Wadhams provided a document titled "Mark Udall & Jack Abramoff" that showed two votes in which Udall opposed anti-gambling legislation that Ambramoff was angling to defeat. In Jul. '05, "Udall was among 245 House members to vote against the Internet Gambling Prohibition Act, the first vote Wadhams noted. House records show Schaffer voted the same way as Udall." Wadhams "said he knew of no Abramoff-connected campaign donations to Schaffer." The Udall camp saw it differently. West: "Bob Schaffer took an Abramoff-sponsored trip and turned a blind eye to forced abortions and human trafficking, while Mark Udall was co-sponsoring legislation to fix those abuses" (Bunch, Denver Post, 4/17). (Back to Contents)
"Smith, who owns an Internet software firm, promoted a conservative platform, saying he'd work to cut malpractice insurance, curb lawsuit abuse, seal U.S. borders and 'cut down on forced free health care that drives hospitals and doctors out of business.'" "Smith will likely face a GOP primary challenge" from '06 candidate/PR consultant Christine O'Donnell (R), "who has said she plans to run." Smith: "We'll cross that bridge when we come to it. ... I'm focused on Sen. Biden. ... Our current senator won't advocate for Delaware. He advocates for the world. He advocates for foreign relations. He advocates for his own presidential run." O'Donnell: "Primary or not, my eyes are on Biden." DE GOP chair Terry Strine said the party would endorse a candidate at its 5/3 convo, "but welcomed both Smith and O'Donnell into the race." Strine said victory is a long shot, so he encouraged both GOPers to "look beyond 2008. Run hard. Run to win but don't make this a one-race-and-out if you don't succeed" (Barrish, Wilmington News-Journal, 4/17). (Back to Contents)
A Kerry camp memo "disputes Ogonowski's assertions and lists 13 pieces of legislation that the senator has passed, several after 1999." Kerry spokesperson David Wade: "NRSC must stand for 'nobody really shows competence. When people get their facts this wrong they usually lose on the first round of 'Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader.' John Kerry was ranked the twelfth most powerful Senator. ... No wonder our Democratic Majority in the Senate will grow in November." Ogonowski: "The fact of the matter is John Kerry has been in Congress for 24 years and has only sponsored eight pieces of legislation. ... He's listed bills he voted for, but ... he wasn't the lead sponsor of them" (Rothstein, The Hill, 4/16). (Back to Contents)
"AFI is considered 'forfeited' by California and required to pay the state a minimum franchise tax of $800 for each year it's been delinquent." CA Franchise Tax Board spokesperson John Barrett: "When you start a corporation, whether it's Al Franken or Joe Blow, it's a legal entity almost like a human being, with a date of creation and a death date." Franken accountant Allen Chanzis, in a statement: "We made an honest and responsible attempt to inform the state of California that we wished to terminate our corporate status within the state. Today I learned that the action intended may have required a different technical form than the one that I sent. I have contacted the state of California in order to rectify the situation." GOP spokesperson Mark Drake said 4/16 "that the incident 'is part of a pattern' that began with last month's revelations that AFI had failed to pay workers' compensation insurance" in NY. Drake: "Al Franken doesn't follow the law, and he thinks there is one set of rules for Al Franken and one set for somebody else. Now it turns out the state of California has been looking at him for years, so Al Franken has a real credibility problem" (Duchschere, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, 4/16). Things Get Political In Dylan Country Nat'l antiwar group Americans United for Change will target Sen. Norm Coleman (R) in radio ads that started running 4/16 in Duluth. "The 'Two Peas in a Pod' ad links Coleman to President Bush's economic agenda and support for the war. The ad is part of a larger national campaign targeting Congress members who, the group argues, have 'enabled the Bush legacy on the two issues which most define his failed presidency: the war in Iraq and the economy.'" The ads are expected to run on radio news talk stations for about 2 weeks and cost about $10K (Wilson, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, 4/16). (Back to Contents)
RAIMONDO: "It's time to bring our troops home. It was a mistake to go to Iraq and it's a mistake to continue this failed policy. Our brave men and women in uniform have done their job. Now Iraq needs to step up and take care of their own country. We need to put America first, and change Washington's priorities. I'm Tony Raimondo and I sponsored this ad to change Washington and honorably bring our troops home" (release, 4/16).Meanwhile, '06 NE-03 nominee/rancher/prof. Scott Kleeb (D) is up with his first TV ad, in the Lincoln and Omaha markets (Tysver, Omaha World-Herald, 4/17) by Penczer Media. Full script "1884": KLEEB: "My great grandfather started right here in Broken Bow back in 1884. Carving out these farms and ranches, folks found out they couldn't survive without each other. We've got problems today -- a nine trillion dollar debt, an economy that doesn't work for as many people as it should, and Washington doesn't seem to know how to fix things. But Nebraskans figured that out right here a long time ago. They pitched in and together got things done. I'm Scott Kleeb and I approved this message because that's how we're going change this country" (Hotline sources, 4/16).(Back to Contents)
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Andrews spokesperson Bill Caruso said the camp is "absolutely not" behind an attempt to knock Cresitello off the 6/3 primary ballot. But "at a hearing to determine whether Cresitello's nominating petitions" contained 1k valid signatures, atty Jean Lidon "said she was there on behalf of Andrews," who "wants to make sure the process is held in accordance with regulations." Her fellow atty John Kwasnik "jumped in and contradicted her." Kwasnik: "I'm not representing anyone, just myself." Kwasnik "filed the challenge to Cresitello's petitions" 4/11. Lidon "then backtracked." Lidon: "I was confused. I know nothing about politics." Caruso said Kwasnik and his law firm "are not our attorneys. They do not represent us." But that did not stop Lautenberg spokesperson Julie Roginsky from accusing Andrews of "remarkable hypocrisy." Roginsky: "He claims to want to give voters a choice in this election, yet here he is exposed trying to knock other Democrats off the ballot." Caruso: "What's hypocritical" was that when Lautenberg first ran for SEN'82 he "insisted that five debates was not enough, yet has refused to accept even one debate to date" (Schwaneberg/Coughlin, Newark Star-Ledger, 4/17). Andrews: "The senator has said he'd be willing to have debates if they were sponsored by legitimate organizations, and we've received nine offers of debates from legitimate organizations." The organizations: AP, the Bergen Record, NJ 101.5, NJN News, the Philadelphia Inquirer and NBC 10, the Press of Atlantic City, Telemundo, WOR TV, and 1210 radio (Pizarro, PolitickerNJ.com, 4/16). More Andrews: "I'm making a respectful, serious request that he do the right thing, come before the voters of the state and answer the questions voters are asking." Roginsky said Lautenberg would debate Andrews, but "she wouldn't offer specifics on how often or when." Roginsky: "Yes, we will debate him, but we're not going to debate debates with him" (Santi, AP, 4/16). You Know My Name, Look Up The Number Meanwhile, Andrews "could find it difficult to boost his name recognition in Central and North Jersey because he doesn't have as much money" as Lautenberg. Andrews had $2.2M as of 3/31, compared to Lautenberg's $4.7M. Andrews must get his name out among North Jersey voters -- and $2.2M "may not be enough to blanket an area of the state where Lautenberg lives and is better known" (Chebium, Cherry Hill Courier-Post, 4/17). Andrews also "took a shot" at Lautenberg "over the Iraq war, telling reporters that he assumes Lautenberg holds the same pro-war position" as Sen. Joeseph Lieberman (I-CT) because Lautenberg "enthusiastically supported" Lieberman in his '06 race. Roginsky countered that that is "absolutely not the case" and that Lautenberg endorsed Dem candidate Ned Lamont over Lieberman. After each camp "produced" articles supporting their own point, Andrews said the "senator has confused his record on this issue" (McPike, CongressDailyPM, 4/16). (Back to Contents)
Gilmore "said warner promised not to raise taxes when he ran for governor then engineered a tax increase two years after taking office." Gilmore: "He broke his word on that." Gilmore "also said that Warner called for a troop pullout in Iraq" Jan. on '09. "Warner, sitting next to Gilmore, turned and laughed." "Gilmore completely ignored Marshall during his speech." Marshall "used the podium to ruffle some feathers" within the GOP party. Marshall "barely mentioned Warner during his speech." Warner jabbed the GOP Party and both candidates "but also tried to sound a tone of bipartisanship" (Payne/Lessig, Newport News Daily Press, 4/17). Warner "said Gilmore left the state's finances in such disarray that the had to raise taxes to keep the state's top credit rating." Gilmore "tried to align himself with John McCain "and festooned the grounds with 'McCain-Gilmore' signs. He also tried to link Warnber with the eventual Democratic nominee, referring to 'Obama-Clinton-Warner'"Whitley/Scharpiro, Richmond Times-Dispatch, 4/17). Sign, Sign, Everywhere A Sign Shad Planking is a festival that "brings out all of VA's sons and daughters," from the Tidewater to the Shenandoah Valley, for an afternoon of old-school politicking under a canopy of oaks, pines and beer tents. According to the program on 4/16, the main attraction of the day was he speeches by the candidates. The event is considered by many insiders to "be the kickoff" of the political season in the Old Dominion. Not lost in all the political positioning that took place on 4/16 was an acknowledgement that it also was the first anniversary of the shootings at VA Tech. Gilmore: "There's no question it is a sad day. We need to express our remembrance of those folks and make sure they have not died in vain. This is a safer state today and we need to work to make it safer and safer." While it was hard to say which candidate walked away with the best stump speech, Warner was universally acknowledged as the winner of another important contest: the sign war. This year, Warner signs began six miles outside of Wakefield and seemed to multiply exponentially leading up to the event. Gilmore shrugged off the sign deficit. Gilmore: "Warner has plenty of money, no question about it. He can spend anything he wants on this race. Our job is to raise as much money as we need to do our job and not outraise Mark Warner" (McArdle, Roll Call, 4/17). (Back to Contents)
Want to make sure you NEVER miss out on a key "On Call" post? Then signup for "On Call" email alerts. Email Alerts How do you Hotline? There are so many ways. Are you not receiving the new and improved Hotline email alert? If you aren't, you're missing out. The Hotline email alert now encompasses the first four pages of Hotline each day, including the front page, Quote of the Day, table of contents and the "Overlooked." If you are not signed up for The Hotline email alert, click here to make it happen (and select "The Hotline"). PDAs, Yeah, We've Heard Of Them Wake-Up Call! is available via your PDA. Click here for instructions on downloading. Nationaljournal.com's pm update also is available for PDA users. Click here for details. To access Wake-Up Call! on your phone, you need to directly bookmark the sites above. The bookmark for Wake-Up Call! is http://nationaljournal.com/avantgo/wakeup.htm. Of course, you can access to the entire The Hotline via your PDA!!! Click here to sign up for the special HotlineMobile email alert . Putting The Numbers In Your In-Box NationalJournal.com's Poll Track -- where, by the way, you can find the numbers that have run here in Hotline archived by campaign and issue -- now offers a daily HTML E-Mail Alert. Get a quick rundown of the newest national polls, along with direct links to Poll Track's archives and other resources. Click here for a sample edition, or sign up right now. (Back to Contents)
Cheney: "Obviously, you're not the kind to look down on a 'bitter' man who clings to his guns. And I was just as surprised as you were to see Governor Mitt Romney. And though I enjoyed his props and slides, I won't be needing any myself. I'm counting, as usual, on the power of my charm and charisma." On Pope Benedict XVI's visit: "I myself met with His Holiness this morning at the White House. So between that and this dinner with the media, it's been quite a day for me. I spent the morning with one infallible authority, and now I get to spend the evening with a thousand of them. I was glad to talk to the pope. It's rare that I run into somebody who's heard more secrets than I have." On Al Gore: "He's a little bit sore at me. He's convinced that, on global warming, I just don't get it. But lately with every passing day, the evidence has been catching my attention. I have no doubt, none at all, that we are in the midst of a global warming, or as I prefer to call it, spring. And I don't want to sound like an alarmist, but it's going to get a lot warmer before it gets cooler. But I want you to know I'm doing my part to meet the crisis by reducing my carbon footprint big-time. Every time I'm rushed to the hospital, I insist on a hybrid ambulance." On the media: "I'm very glad to be here tonight, in the president's usual place, and it's good to share the stage with so many dignitaries, including Majority Leader Hoyer, Minority Leader McConnell, Chairman Dingell, Minority Whip Kyl, and that great TV personality and blogger, Mo Rocca. ... Mo used to host a TV show called 'Things I Hate About You.' I'm sure I've seen that program. Only I believe it's now called 'Countdown with Keith Olbermann.'" On WH '08: "I'm old news in this election, but I want a piece of the action. I'm fired up for my own candidate, but the feeling isn't always returned. I feel kind of like Bill Clinton. ... I really want John McCain to win. I'm proud to support John, even though one of the Democrats running is a relative of mine. He's Senator Obama to you, but he's cousin Barack to me. Amazingly enough, it turns out that Barack is also related to Brad Pitt. That means Dick Cheney and Brad Pitt are related, which explains what Angelina sees in that guy." More: "You in the press need to go easy on Senator Clinton on the whole business about running and ducking from gunfire in Bosnia. She made an honest mistake. She confused the Bosnia trip with the time I took her hunting. Did you see that footage of Hillary knocking back that shot with a beer chaser? People say she did it like an old pro. I hadn't realized she'd been in the Senate that long. Looks like she replaced Mark Penn with Johnny Walker. ... Maybe I've sympathetic to Hillary because I've had my own troubles. The big buzz last week was about that picture of me fishing. In the reflection in my sunglasses, it looked like I'd reeled in something a lot more interesting than trout. ... The most common question is: what lure was I using? Anyway, that's the last time I'll go with an outfitter called the Emperors Club VIP" (FNC, 4/16). (Back to Contents)
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Byrd, 90, "made his remarks after chairing" a closely watched, 2-hour hearing on Iraq funding, performing "steadily" even though he "relied on prepared statements." Senate Maj. Leader Harry Reid spokesperson Jim Manley: "Senator Reid spoke to several members of the committee after the hearing, all of whom said that he did a commendable job" (Taylor, AP, 4/16). Byrd showed up "on time in a crisp suit," displaying "a broad smile while an aide wheeled him into the room" (Rushing, The Hill, 4/16). "By all accounts, Byrd passed the test of whether he could still handle the task" (Pierce/Billings, Roll Call, 4/17). Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL), meanwhile, "grew testy with reporters" after the hearing, saying, "Would you stop? You guys are becoming so macabre. Really, you ought to stop. This is not fair. It really isn't. This poor man is working himself as hard as he can and doing a good job and all you can do is kind of boil the pot a little" (Taylor, AP, 4/16). (Back to Contents)
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Fake Testicles Are "Just Truckiness" FL state Sen. Carey Baker (R) "proposed an amendment to a transportation bill" 4/16 "that would have cracked down on an increasingly popular accoutrement on trucks: hanging sacks -- dubbed 'truck nutz' -- that very realistically resemble male genitalia." The proposal would "make it a violation" worthy of a $60 fine to "have the testicular feature on your car." But state Sen. Jim King (R) protested, "There are some people in my district that would display bull testicles that are brass or whatever. It's an expression of just truckiness" (Collins, Palm Beach Post blog, 4/16). King also notes, "My Suburban has them on it" (Kennedy, Orlando Sentinel, 4/17). Mixed-Up Pup Caper Solved, We Think Ex-possible victim of mistaken identity/black lab Callie "came home" 4/16. Lake Oswego, OR, resident Ken Griggs "was reunited with the family dog" more than two weeks after claiming "the Tail Wag-Inn boarding kennel" gave him the wrong dog when he returned from spring break. Griggs, "shortly after exchanging dogs with the woman he said had mistakenly" taken Callie home: "I'm happy and relieved and just want things to get back to normal." Kennel owner Allison Best: "We tried to do everything we could, and it's really unfortunate we had two customers who couldn't identify their dogs. Mr. Griggs coming back twice to reclaim the wrong dog was not helpful" Zheng, Portland Oregonian, 4/16). (Back to Contents)
This Morning "Today" led with the WH '08 Dem debate. "Early Show" led with the Dem debate. "GMA" led with the Dem debate. Adding Another Point Of View "The View"'s "conservative host" Elisabeth Hasselbeck will have "a rare ally in the show's political conversations" on 4/21, when Cindy McCain is set to co-host the ABC program. Her husband, John McCain, has appeared on "The View" four times, most recently last week. "There's no word on whether she'll be bringing any recipes to share" (AP, 4/16).
Thurzzzday Ratingzzz Buzzz For the week of 4/13, NBC's "Meet the Press" won with a 3.0 rating/9 share and 4.016M viewers. ABC's "This Week" was second with a 1.9/5 and 2.611M viewers. CBS' "Face the Nation" came in with a 1.7/5 and 2.356M viewers. "Fox News Sunday" garnered a 1.0/3 and 1.316M viewers (Hotline sources," 4/17). We Hope Sanchez Leaves Out The Lesson On Tasering English language Latino network Si TV and Voto Latino, a nonpartisan voter registration org., have launched a joint venture "to further engage young Latinos in the presidential election process." "Crash the Parties" begins with a nationwide search for "two young Latinos" to cover the Dem and GOP nat'l convos as reporters for Si TV. CNN's Rick Sanchez is on the panel of judges, which also includes ex-Rep. Henry Bonilla (R-TX), that "will evaluate the top five candidates from each of the party submissions to select the winners." Sanchez "will also mentor the young reporters, providing media tips and expert advice on interviewing the party nominees and others." Sanchez: "This isn't just an honor for me -- it's a responsibility. I owe my own career to broadcast journalism professionals who mentored me, so I really feel privileged to be given this opportunity to help others, in much the same way as I was helped" (release, 4/16). Laugh Track Jay Leno: "As you know, Pope Benedict XVI arrived here in America yesterday. President Bush went out to the airport to meet the pope. He never does that. He actually went out to the airport to meet him. Kind of embarrassing for the president. As each person got off the plane, he said, 'Are you the pope? Are you the pope?' ... He didn't really know. Anyway, the White House held a big dinner tonight honoring the pope, but the pope chose not to attend. He didn't attend the dinner. I think President Bush was a little hurt. In fact, he said today, 'You know, after the trouble we went through to prepare a kosher meal and he didn't [come].' I don't think he really understood. Anyway, when the pope arrived at the White House, he was given a 21-gun salute. That's got to make Barack Obama a little uncomfortable. Guns and religion, you know, that kind of thing. Get a little bitter. I don't know about that. Actually, one really embarrassing moment, you see this on the news? When the pope blessed the crowd with holy water? Well, some of it splashed on Dick Cheney, burned his skin. ... Now, you may have seen this earlier on the news. Did you hear what President Bush said to the pope after his speech today? This is an exact quote. I'm not changing it. He said, 'Awesome speech, your Holiness.' That's what he said to the pope. See, he didn't want to say 'dude,' because it was a formal affair. Anyway, happy birthday to the pope. 81 years old today. You know what's amazing? Think about this. The pope is younger than Hugh Hefner. ... Did you see the pope's plane land yesterday? I think it's called, was it 'Shepherd One'? Is that the name of the pope's plane? 'Shepherd One'? And he's also German, isn't he? ... So that would make it 'German Shepherd One.' ... A big debate earlier tonight in Philadelphia between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. So we'll finally find out if it's a City of Brotherly Love, or if they're gonna go with the old white lady. So we don't know what's gonna happen. Well, according to the latest Gallup poll, Barack Obama has the largest lead of the year so far over Hillary. He's up by 11%. Yeah. You thought Hillary was drinking before. Well, now she's really knocking 'em back. And, of course, Hillary Clinton continuing to attack Barack Obama. Hillary says Barack is an elitist who thinks he's smarter than most people. Is that a bad thing? Wouldn't it be nice for a change to have a president that's actually smarter than most people? Shouldn't that be one of the qualifications for the job? That you're actually smarter than most people? And today, John McCain said he disagrees with President Bush on the issue of climate change. And believe me, McCain knows what he's talking about on this subject. Of all the presidential candidates, he is the only one who's actually lived through an ice age. ... He's seen the changes so many people have only documented. Actually, I think President Bush starting to change his opinion on global warming. Today, he announced an initiative to combat global warming. Again, I don't think he really understands the issue. He says his first act would be to order the Department of Energy to start drilling for solar power. ... According to a survey by the History Network, 98% of professional historians believe that George W. Bush's presidency has been a failure. The other 2% believe it was a total disaster. So, you could go either way" ("Tonight Show," NBC, 4/16). David Letterman: "It was so nice here in New York City that Barack Obama could not find anyone who was bitter. Just that nice. ... Earlier tonight, there was another debate. It was Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton debating. And they've been doing this now a year and a half, and Hillary, honestly, is getting a little desperate. So before the debate, she sneaks over to Barack Obama's podium, honest to God, and buries a Michael Dukakis jersey. ... Well, big news ladies and gentlemen. The pope is in the United States. Flew in to Washington, DC. Hillary Clinton declined to meet pope at the airport. You know, she was worried about sniper fire. And coincidentally, today is the pope's 81st birthday. Isn't that remarkable? 81st birthday, yeah. President Bush greeted the pope, and he knew it was his birthday, so he gave him a gift card to Big and Tall Hats. ... And at the White House, this was great. The pope was greeted by a 21-gun salute, 22 if you count Cheney. Ka-boom! ... Now think about this ... the pope [is] 81 years old, and he's going to be saying a mass at Nationals Stadium in Washington Thursday, and then on Sunday, he'll be saying a mass at Yankee Stadium on Sunday. And I'm worried about that Sunday Mass because the pope will be doing that one on two days' rest. ... What a schedule. And right after the mass at Yankee Stadium, the pope goes down to Madison Square Garden and administers the last rites for the Knicks" ("Late Show," CBS, 4/16). Jon Stewart: "Exciting time in Washington, DC. Take the plastic off the coaches, defrost the Frigidaire. We have a visitor! Guess who is coming to sinners? Yesterday the networks went live to cover the president and his wife greeting the pope at the airport [on screen: video of the runway, before the plane arrived]. My God, the pope's plane is invisible. Nooo! The pope is Wonder Woman. Obviously he's not Wonder Woman. Wonder Woman, of course, [is] Methodist. Eventually the pope did arrive. ... Based on my seven-and-a-half years of experience watching this president, following this president, I assume the conversation was some version of him going, 'Uh, hey man, how's it hangin'?' Followed by the president's nickname for the Holy Father, something along the lines of, 'Hey Pope-y Pope!' Or, 'What's up, Dr. Robes-a-lot?' 'Big Hat Johnson? Legs Benedict?' Believe me, we had a couple more. We might post them on the website. Some of them were dirty. ... The reporters are really going nuts over the pope. I thought the media was controlled by Jews. ... Today, the pope headed to the White House for what was actually the largest White House event in history. It was great. ... Let's finally hear from the pope. The voice of God's emissary on earth, the golden tones of goodness and purity, the very sound of virtue and righteousness [on screen: excerpt from the pope's speech at the White House 4/16]. I've got to tell you, even benevolence doesn't sound good with a German accent [speaking in a German accent]: I want to bless the children! You will not deny God's love! Nein! Nein! Nein! We must be compassionate people. Are you listening to me? Schultz! Never one to wear out his welcome, the pope wrapped it up and quickly received some thoughtful feedback from President Bush [on screen: Pres. Bush telling the pope he gave an "awesome speech"]. I gotta to tell you, bro. That sh*t was tight. You totally crushed it, dude" ("Daily Show," Comedy Central, 4/16). Stephen Colbert: "Before we begin, I need to clear the air. Last night, I had Michelle Obama on the show, and I said this [on screen: Colbert telling M. Obama she would be Jackie O. if she were to become First Lady]. And I stand by that statement. But in the interest of being fair and balanced, I think Cindy McCain would also make an excellent Jackie O. And so would Bill Clinton. As long as Chanel comes in plus size. Anyway, I'm here to cover Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton's epic battle. I, for one, think they are both qualified to destroy the Democratic party. Dream ticket. But before we get to the election, Christmas came early this year, and it's wearing a giant hat! Pope Benedict is in America! Wooo! He hath done it! [on screen: photo of Pres. Bush and Pope Benedict]. Here he is being greeted by President Bush, the leaders of the two most powerful theocracies in the world. I personally have trouble telling them apart. They're both infallible. They both did some things when they were younger that they wish people would forget. One was a cheerleader, the other Nazi youth. It's a fine line. ... The best part of all, he's here for his birthday, so everybody join in. [on screen: Colbert leads the audience in singing 'Happy Birthday' in Latin]. ... It's the pope's 81st birthday, and just look at that youthful glow. Teens, this is what you get for a lifetime of abstinence. ... As you know, there's a huge Democratic debate in Philadelphia tonight. It was like ultimate fighting, but with more pantsuits. It was the latest squirmish in Barack Obama's and Hillary Clinton's Democratic civil war. ... Yesterday the Obama campaign released this hard-hitting attack ad [on screen: Video of Obama's latest ad]. ... Shameless! Scoring political points using foot annual of Hillary being booed for scoring political points using comments Obama made to score political points. Who does he hope he is? ... Meanwhile, Bill Clinton criticized Barak Obama for saying small-town problems started long before George Bush took office, telling a group of students, 'Once you've reached a certain age, you won't sit there and listen to somebody tell you there's no difference between what happened in the Bush years and the Clinton years.' Then, presumably, he said something about his wife's campaign. Senator Obama struck back with a huge endorsement today: Bruce Springsteen. I personally can't believe Springsteen is backing Obama. If Americans start hoping, what will he write his songs about? This could be what Obama needs to connect to the blue collar voters who have been trending Hillary's way" ("Colbert Report," Comedy Central, 4/16). Jimmy Kimmel: "Happy Pope's Birthday, everyone. The pope was in United States today. And he's celebrating his 81st birthday. So I got him a hat. A big party for the pope on the South Lawn of the White House. Here he is arriving at the party in the Popemobile. As the pope is about to exit that limousine and be welcomed, look at this shot. To be welcomed by the president and first lady. ... A very nice affair for him. They had a party. They had a Satan pinata, which we thought was cute. The president sent him through the spanking machine. ... Even though it was his party, the pope did have to make a speech in which he praised America's freedom of religion and afterwards, President Bush showed why he is, and always will be, the funniest president in history [on screen: Pres. Bush telling the pope he gave an 'awesome speech']. Well, if you missed it, what he said there, he said, 'Thanks your Holiness, awesome speech.' Thanks your holiness, awesome speech. Now, I'm surprised he didn't give him a high-five. When did the president actually become Will Ferrell's impression of him from 'Saturday Night Live'? ... John McCain was on 'Hardball with Chris Matthews' last night. John McCain was actually pretty funny. He got some weird questions from the students there, but he handled them well. ... Bruce Springsteen announced on his website today that he's endorsing Barack Obama for president. Which means, Obama now has Oprah and Bruce, and all he needs to complete the triumverate is Judge Judy, [and] he has this whole thing sewn up" ("Jimmy Kimmel Live," ABC, 4/16).
TOP TEN QUESTIONS PRESIDENT BUSH ASKED THE POPE
10. Where is the little lady?
9. How long have you been Poping?
8. Jessica Alba or Jessica Biel?
7. Have you ever tried eggs benedict?
6. Could you perform an exorcism on Dick Cheney?
5. You on spring break?
4. What are you doing for Passover?
3. Could you record a wacky greeting for my voicemail?
2. Can I come up to visit you and Rudolph at the
North Pole?
1. Could you do something about my approval
rating? (CBS, 4/16).
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