OBAMA
LEADS IN SC; HATCH FOR A.G.; WARNER RETIREMENT WATCH; NC DOLE
POLL. SOUTH
CAROLINA: A new independent poll is out with South Carolina
Democratic Presidential primary rankings. According to the Insider
Advantage poll, here are the SC numbers: Barack Obama -
34%, Hillary Clinton - 20%, John Edwards - 17%, Joe Biden - 3%,
Bill Richardson - 2%, and Christopher Dodd - 1%. South Carolina
is a key early primary
contest, set for January 29. UTAH: Speculation continues to grow that six-term
US Senator Orrin Hatch (R-UT) -- former Chair of the Senate Judiciary
Committee -- is aggressively posturing behind the scenes to replace
Al Gonzales in President Bush's Cabinet as the next Attorney General.
Hatch would be certain to win swift Senate confirmation by a nearly
unanimous vote. A Hatch appointment would also help improve Bush
Administration relations on Capitol Hill. Numerous news reports,
including inside-the-Beltway sources like Roll Call, all
say Hatch very much wants the post as a nice way to close out
his lengthy political career. Although
Hatch was once a Presidential hopeful, most who know him say his
real ambition for many years was to secure an appointment to the
US Supreme Court. Now, at age 73, a realistic Hatch knows an appointment
to the high court is most unlikely. If Hatch becomes AG,
Utah Governor Jon Huntsman (R) would select an interim replacement
who would be required to face voters next year in a special election
for the remaining four-years of Hatch's current term. Several
prominent Utah Republicans are already jockeying -- just in case
-- to run next year. VIRGINIA:
In the strongest sign yet that five-term US Senator John Warner
(R) plans to retire next year, just check out his 1Q-2007 fundraising
totals posted with the FEC. For the first three months of the
year, Warner raised just $500. No, that's not a typo. Only $500.
Just a single check received from a homemaker. "As I have said
consistently, I am seriously considering running again for the
Senate. For the present, I am devoting my full attention to my
Senate duties ... If I confirm my decision to seek reelection,
I have every confidence that I will be able to raise sufficient
resources and structure an organization to wage a vigorous campaign,"
said the 80-year-old Warner to The Politico. Warner also
said he plans to hold a fundraiser in June. Not exactly a statement
of ringing intent to run again -- and certainly not a message
that would scare away a wealthy potential rival like former Governor
Mark Warner (D). NORTH CAROLINA: Dems are urging Congressman Brad Miller
(D) to challenge US Senator Elizabeth Dole (R) next year. A new
independent poll shows Dole starting well under the 50% danger
mark for incumbents, meaning this could be a competitive race.
According to the Public Policy Polling survey, Dole currently
leads Miller by a 44% to 33% vote.
Posted by Ron Gunzburger - 04.13.07 | Permalink
|
FREE
SPEECH ZONE.
Kurt Vonnegut, RIP.
Posted by Ron Gunzburger - 04.13.07 | Permalink
|
WANNA
TRADE?
I'm interested in building up my collection of Canadian campaign
buttons. If you've got Canadian political buttons to trade (both
federal and provincial), I'm interesting in swapping
with you (and will also trade your Canadian buttons for some of
my great US pins). Please
drop me a note! Also interested in buying Canadian pins, if
you're not interested in trading.
THURSDAY
NEWS UPDATE.
THOMPSON
EDGES FORWARD; MEEHAN KINDA BACKS TSONGAS; LAUTENBERG RUNS; JOHNSON
KEEPS OPTIONS OPEN IN SD. THOMPSON:
Conservative columnist Robert Novak reported actor and former
US Senator Fred Thompson (R-TN) is "very likely" to
officially launch his Presidential campaign next week. Thompson
announced Wednesday he has non-Hodgkin's lymphoma,
a slow-growing and not immediately life-threatening condition.
"I am in remission and it is very treatable with drugs if
treatment is needed in the future," he explained. It is believed
Thompson lobbed the cancer story to the media now to see the reaction.
If those involved in the Draft Thompson movement don't get scared
away by the revelation, look for Thompson to jump into
the race. MASSACHUSETTS: Congressman Marty Meehan (D) promised he
would not interject himself into the CD-5 special election primary
this October to select his replacement. Instead, he vowed that
he will simply endorse the winner of the crowded Democratic primary.
Does that mean Meehan is staying neutral? Well, it seems, not
exactly. Ellen Meehan, the Congressman's wife, was just named
as the Chair of Community College Dean Niki Tsongas's (D) campaign.
Tsongas is also the widow of the late US Senator Paul Tsongas.
In related news, Middlelex County Sheriff Jim DiPaola (D) quit
the race this week and Lawrence Mayor Michael Sullivan (R) became
the first GOP candidate to enter the contest. Other announced
candidates are Lowell City Councilor Eileen Donoghue, DNC Member
David O'Brien, and State Representatives Jamie Eldridge (D), Barry
Finegold (D) and Jim Miceli (D). The seat's history and registration
heavily favors the winner of the Dem primary to win the general
election. Meehan is resigning to become Chancellor or UMass-Lowell. NEW JERSEY: Despite some rumors that US Senator
Frank Lautenberg (D) would retire next year -- when he will be
84 years old -- the buzz was apparently false. In a sign he intends
to seek re-election, Lautenberg just posted new FEC numbers showing
he has around $2 million cash-on-hand in his campaign account.
The most likely GOP challengers are two second-tier hopefuls:
State Assemblyman Michael Doherty and real estate developer Anne
Evans Estabrooks. SOUTH DAKOTA: While US Senator Tim Johnson (D) continues
to recover from the serious brain hemorrhage that nearly killed
him last year, his campaign is doing well in his absence. With
the help of other Senators, Johnson raised $665,000 in 1Q-2007
and now has over $1.2 million cash-on-hand. "He is glad to
know that things are moving forward, so he is in the best possible
position to make that decision [on seeking re-election] down the
line. Tim remains busy at rehabiliation and is just so thankful
to his colleagues for all of their help during this time,"
said Johnson's spokesperson to USA Today.
Posted by Ron Gunzburger - 04.12.07 | Permalink
|
FREE
SPEECH ZONE.
Your daily open thread.
Posted by Ron Gunzburger - 04.12.07 | Permalink
|
WEDNESDAY
NEWS UPDATE.
FOX
OUT-FOXED; GIBBONS SAYS WSJ ON DEM PAYROLL; GOV OTTER VISITS
CUBA. FOX/CBC
PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE: With Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama and
John Edwards all officially boycotting the Congressional Black
Caucus Presidential Primary Debate on FOX News Channel
-- protesting what they complain is FOX's anti-Dem bias -- will
anyone watch to see if Dennis Kucinich does better or worse than
Chris Dodd (or whomever)? The event is now rendered meaningless
by the absence of the entire first tier of Dem White House candidates.
Of course, don't be surprised if nearly every remaining candidate
withdraws from the FOX debate within the next few days. NEVADA:
Governor Jim Gibbons (R) is sounding
a bit desperate these days. The Wall Street Journal recently
reported that Gibbons is the target of an FBI investigation for
allegedly accepting secrets cash gifts from a Nevada defense contractor
in return for Gibbons steering secret federal contracts to the
company. This week Gibbons got those stories back on the
front page of Nevada newspapers by claiming "the Democrats
have paid to have these Wall Street Journal articles written."
Gibbons' press secretary later pedaled the conspiracy story, describing
the corruption allegations as "a significant effort on behalf
of the Democratic Party to aggressively attack my boss' legislative
agenda and provide further distraction, not allowing us to move
forward leading the state. As far as the Wall Street Journal
story goes, we don't know. We don't know who is providing it but
we do hear rumors just like you do." A spokesman for the
WSJ -- generally seen as a conservative, pro-Republican newspaper
-- responded: "The Wall Street Journal's articles
about Governor Gibbons are supported by extensive reporting. The
Governor's suggestion that the Journal's coverage is a
product of the Nevada Democrats is baseless." CUBA: Idaho Governor Butch Otter (R) arrived in
Cuba on Tuesday, leading a delegation of legislators and farmers
from his state. The group will hold a series of meetings with
officials in the Castro government. Otter is trying to increase
the amount of Idaho farm products purchased by the Cuban government.
"We are going to continue to build good relationships with
the folks in Cuba. [The Idaho trade delegation] are all looking
forward to the opportunity to negotiate and do business with Cuba,"
said Otter to the Reuters news service. Nebraska Governor Dave
Heineman (R) led a similar delegation to Cuba last year.
Posted by Ron Gunzburger - 04.11.07 | Permalink
|
FREE
SPEECH ZONE.
Your daily open thread.
Posted by Ron Gunzburger - 04.11.07 | Permalink
|
TUESDAY
NEWS UPDATE.
CFG
LOOKS FOR SMITH FOE; CONGRESS UP; HARKIN SOLID; HUNTER SHIPPING
OUT BUT STILL RUNNING. OREGON: US Senator
Gordon Smith (R) seems recently to have
been remodeling himself in a more centrist way to help position
himself for his re-election race next year. Examples: Smith now
opposes the Iraq War and called for Attorney General Al Gonzales
to resign. Dems feel bolstered because weak Governor Ted Kulongoski
(D) managed to win re-election last year and the party recaptured
control of the Oregon House. Well, Smith may have other problems
because of his move to the center. According to the Salem Statesman-Journal,
the conservative Club for Growth is possibly trying to find a
primary challenger for Smith. CFG Executive Director David Keating
told the newspaper Smith has not "done enough to control
federal spending and "it's possible" the group might financially
back a GOP challenger. Keating concedes they do not yet have a
candidate, but the newspaper notes veteran anti-tax activist Bill
Sizemore -- the 1998 GOP nominee for Governor -- said he is "giving
thought" to the race. The Dems have a similar problem as
the Club for Growth: they've yet to recruit a serious challenger,
although several are looking at the seat. CONGRESS:
A new AP/Ipsos poll shows the Congress
is enjoying the highest approval rating in over a year. While
the new 40% approval rating is still a generally lackluster showing,
it is a significant improvement over the dismal 25% approval rating
Congress held last year. IOWA:
US Senator Tom Harkin (D) is looking increasingly strong for
his 2008 re-election race. He has more than $2 million in the
bank and the Republicans are unable to name a single viable challenger
to take on the incumbent. US Senator Chuck Grassley (R), appearing
this weekend on Iowa Public Television, was unable to name a single
major GOP hopeful looking at the race. "I don’t have
a name to throw out now, but there is a lot of people that are
asking questions about running against him and there’s a
lot of recruiting going on as well," said Grassley. Maybe
this is one reason for the problem: the Congressional Research
Service says Harkin has defeated more sitting Republican Members
of Congress -- five -- than any Democrat in the history of the
US Senate. CALIFORNIA: USMC Reservist Duncan D. Hunter (R) is finding
a major obstacle in his 2008 run for the US House seat being vacated
by his father -- although he remains the frontrunner in the race.
Hunter has already completed two tours of duty in Iraq, and just
last week he received new orders recalling him to active duty
for a third deployment. According to the Washington Times,
the order means Hunter is certain to be in either to
either Iraq or Afghanistan when the election takes place.
Hunter, 30, says he will remain a candidate no matter where he
is located next year. "In fact it makes me want to run more
than ever. It seems like nobody is listening right now to the
conservative side of the war debate. I'm sure a lot of people
think they're speaking the truth when they talk about [the war],
but they don't have the experience," he explained. San Diego
County GOP Chair Tony Krvaric said he expects as many as a dozen
other Republicans will also face-off with Hunter in the open primary
for the CD-52 seat. Hunter's father is vacating the seat to run
for President after
26 years in the House.
Posted by Ron Gunzburger - 04.10.07 | Permalink
|
FREE
SPEECH ZONE.
Your daily open thread.
Posted by Ron Gunzburger - 04.10.07 | Permalink
|
MONDAY
NEWS UPDATE.
RUDY
LEADS IN SC; ALLEN-COLLINS; NELSON FOR HAGEL; NEWT HITS GONZALES. SOUTH CAROLINA: A new FOX News/Opinion Dynamics poll of
South Carolina Republicans shows Rudy Giuliani holding a narrow
lead in the state. The numbers: Giuliani - 26%, John McCain -
25%, Mitt Romney - 14%, Newt Gingrich - 5%, and all others at
2% or less.
MAINE: The Hotline reported: Congressman "Tom
Allen (D) has not officially announced a SEN candidacy,
he seems all but certain to run [against US Senator Susan Collins
(R)] and had more CoH at the start of '07 than Collins."
HAGEL: US Senator Ben Nelson (D) reached across the aisle
to offer some words of support for US Senator Chuck Hagel's possible
run for the GOP Presidential nomination. "I hope he runs
and I hope that he will get the nomination. I think he could bring
some capabilities to the office," said Nelson to the AP.
Nelson praised Hagel's "grasp of international diplomacy"
and added "it's been lacking in this Presidency."
Nelson said he was concerned Hagel cannot win the Republican nomination,
however, because "the perception is that he's only an anti-war
candidate." Nelson also said he doesn't think Hagel should
take the Indy route if he feels stymied for the GOP nod: "It
just doesn't work in our system yet to have an independent candidate." GONZALES: Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich became the
latest Republican to call for Attorney General Al Gonzales to
resign over the clumsy political-related firing of the eight US
Attorneys. Appearing on FOX News Sunday, Gingrich said
"the public would be much better served to have another Attorney
General. I cannot imagine how he's going to be effective for the
rest of his administration." Top Gonzales aide Monica Goodling
-- who said she planned to invoke the fifth amendment if called
to testify before Congress about the firing -- resigned Friday.
Gonzales Chief of Staff Kyle Sampson resigned two weeks ago over
his involvement in the clumsy handling of the matter before Congress.
Posted by Ron Gunzburger - 04.09.07 | Permalink
|
FREE
SPEECH ZONE.
Your daily open thread.
Posted by Ron Gunzburger - 04.09.07 | Permalink
|
WANNA
TRADE?
I'm interested in building up my collection of Canadian campaign
buttons. If you've got Canadian political buttons to trade (both
federal and provincial), I'm interesting in swapping
with you (and will also trade your Canadian buttons for some of
my great US pins). Please
drop me a note! Also interested in buying Canadian pins, if
you're not interested in trading.
FRIDAY
NEWS UPDATE.
FREE
SPEECH ZONE.
Best wishes for a happy Easter
weekend.
Posted by Ron Gunzburger - 04.06.07 | Permalink
|
THURSDAY
NEWS UPDATE.
OBAMA'S
BUCKS; NEW NH & IA POLLS; DEMS RECRUIT CRAIG CHALLENGER. OBAMA:
In a smart bit of media choreography, Barack Obama waited days
beyond the other Dems to announce his impressive fundraising total.
The total: Obama collected over $25 million from more than 100,000
donors. That means he had twice as many donors as Hillary Clinton,
he matched her dollar-for-dollar, and over $23.5 million of his
money can be used in the primaries
(versus $20 million for Clinton, who had to divert some of the
large contributions to a separate fund for her potential general
election race). "What makes this achievement even more noteworthy
is that we did it without taking any money from PACs or federal
lobbyists ... [We] sent an unmistakable message to the political
establishment in Washington about the power and seriousness of
our challenge," said Obama. Also -- FYI -- add up all of
the money raised by the Dem and GOP candidates announced to date
and you get this total: Dems = $78 million, GOP = $51 million.
NEW HAMPSHIRE: A new WMUR/CNN poll of New Hampshire Republicans
shows John McCain and Rudy Giuliani locked in a tie with 29% apiece.
Mitt Romney was third with 17%, Fred Thompson had 3%, Newt Gingrich
and Tommy Thompson scored 2% each, and everyone else had 1% or
less.
IOWA: New numbers from a Strategic Vision poll of likely Iowa
GOP caucus participants shows Rudy Giuliani leading John McCain
by a 25% to 20% vote. The others: Fred Thompson - 11%, Mitt Romney
- 8%, Newt Gingrich - 6%, Tommy Thompson and Sam Brownback each
had 3%, Mike Huckabee, Chuck Hagel and Tom Tancredo were tied
with 2% apiece, and everyone else was at 1% or less. Democratic
likely caucus participants gave these responses: John
Edwards - 27%, Barack Obama - 20%, Hillary Clinton - 19%, Bill
Richardson and Joe Biden had 4% each, and all others were at 1%
or less. IDAHO: Former Congressman Larry LaRocco (D) plans to run
against US Senator Larry Craig (R) next year. He'll make a formal
announcement next week. LaRocco told New West he needs
to raise $5 million to be a viable candidate. Craig, 61, has been
viewed as a possible retirement candidate ever since he was outed
as gay on a DC website -- a story that was then widely reprinted
in state newspapers. Craig denied the very detailed allegations
of meeting men for sex in public bathrooms, but may face primary
challengers if he runs again. Canyon County Commissioner Robert
Vasquez (R) -- an anti-immigration candidate openly allied with
Congressman Tom Tancredo (R-CO) -- is already an announced candidate.
A pro-life activist is also running as an Independent.
Posted by Ron Gunzburger - 04.05.07 | Permalink
|
FREE
SPEECH ZONE.
Your daily open thread.
Posted by Ron Gunzburger - 04.05.07 | Permalink
|
WANNA
TRADE?
I'm interested in building up my collection of Canadian campaign
buttons. If you've got Canadian political buttons to trade (both
federal and provincial), I'm interesting in swapping
with you (and will also trade your Canadian buttons for some of
my great US pins). Please
drop me a note! Also interested in buying Canadian pins, if
you're not interested in trading.
WEDNESDAY
NEWS UPDATE.
ROMNEY
STRONGEST IN 1Q GOP TOTAL$; NH DEM POLL; BIDEN'S PLOY; DeFAZIO
COURTED. P2008 - THE GOP: The 1Q-07 fundraising numbers are in for
most of the GOP Presidential contenders. Mitt Romney led the field
with an impressive $20.6 million collected during the period.
Rudy Giuliani, who leads in the polls, was second with over
$15 million collected and $10+ million cash-on-hand. John McCain
finished the money hunt in third with $12.5 million -- a number
even McCain's campaign manager conceded was disappointing because
"we had hoped to do better." Nearly everyone was surprised
by how far McCain trailed Romney in fundraising. As for the second
tier hopefuls, Sam Brownback and Tom Tancredo each collected $1.3
million, and Mike Huckabee lagged behind with around $500,000
raised to date. No numbers were released yet for Tommy Thompson,
Jim Gilmore, Ron Paul or Duncan Hunter. "We are not playing
the first-quarter game," said Gilmore's spokesperson.
NEW HAMPSHIRE: A new WMUR/CNN poll of New Hampshire Democrats
paints an early picture of a tightening three-way race. Edwards
is up, Clinton is sharply down and Obama is slightly down since
the same poll last month. The new numbers: Clinton - 27%, Edwards
- 21%, Obama - 20%, Gore - 11%, Richardson - 4%, Biden - 2%, and
all others at 1% or less. BIDEN:
Joe Biden's campaign launched a new campaign website -- HeadToHead08.com
-- which uses YouTube videos to compare Biden to his six main
rivals. The first comparison issue is Iraq. Interestingly, his
site even provides links to the official campaign sites of those
six opponents. "I think this campaign is not about money
but about issues. And I took what the other candidates put up
as their preference of what they state their position is, and
they put on YouTube, and put them side by side. And some of them
are good, and some of them are better, and some of them are worse,"
Biden explained on MSNBC. OREGON: Bowing to pressure from the DSCC and the strong
encouragement of progressive activists, Congressman Peter DeFazio
(D) said this week he is now "reluctantly considering"
running against US Senator Gordon Smith (R) next year. DeFazio
explained his reluctance -- the same concerns that kept him out
of the gubernatorial race in the past -- is his distaste for the
extensive fundraising required to run a viable statewide race.
DeFazio promises to make a decision by next month. DSCC polling
purportedly shows DeFazio holding a 4-point lead over Smith.
Posted by Ron Gunzburger - 04.04.07 | Permalink
|
FREE
SPEECH ZONE.
Your daily open thread.
Posted by Ron Gunzburger - 04.04.07 | Permalink
|
WANNA
TRADE?
I'm interested in building up my collection of Canadian campaign
buttons. If you've got Canadian political buttons to trade (both
federal and provincial), I'm interesting in swapping
with you (and will also trade your Canadian buttons for some of
my great US pins). Please
drop me a note! Also interested in buying Canadian pins, if
you're not interested in trading.
TUESDAY
NEWS UPDATE.
FREE
SPEECH ZONE.
Between start of the Passover holiday and major computer problems
Monday night, you'll just have to make do for Tuesday with this
open thread. Sorry.
Posted by Ron Gunzburger - 04.03.07 | Permalink
|
MONDAY
NEWS UPDATE.
CRACKS
IN THE BUSH INNER CIRCLE; 1Q DEM TOTAL$; GILMORE IN. PRESIDENT BUSH:
Matthew Dowd -- a top Bush campaign strategist in both the 2000
and 2004 campaigns -- has turned Bush critic. In an interview
with the New York Times, Dowd said "I really like
[Bush], which is probably why I’m so disappointed in things."
Dowd told the newspaper "his disappointment in Mr. Bush’s
Presidency is so great that he feels a sense of duty
to go public given his role in helping Mr. Bush gain and keep
power." Dowd says he now supports withdrawing US troops from
Iraq, doesn't understand why Bush didn't fire Defense Secretary
Don Rumsfeld right after the Abu Ghraib revelations, and thinks
Bush's political style is intentionally divisive.
Bush is "not the person I thought," he explained. Dowd
said his views started to change when we worked on Governor Arnold
Schwarzenegger's campaign last year under a message of bipartisan
appeal. "I think we should design campaigns that appeal not
to 51% of the people, but bring the country together as a whole,"
said Dowd. Of the 2008 hopefuls -- and he isn't working for any
campaign -- Dowd says he finds Barack Obama's message of national
unity most appealing. As for Dowd, he said he would like to end
up "in Africa or South America doing something that was like
mission work ... to re-establish a level of gentleness in the
world." Responding for the White House, counselor Dan Bartlett
said the Iraq War "is an issue that divides people. Even
people that supported the President aren’t immune from having
their own feelings and emotions." While Bartlett said he
strongly disagrees with Dowd's new stance, "you can respectfully
disagree with someone who has been supportive of you." Nicole
Wallace, communications director for the Bush 2004 campaign, said
that "everyone is going to reflect on the good and the bad,
and everything in between, in their own way, and I certainly respect
the way he’s doing it -- these are his true thoughts from
a deeply personal place." P2008 - THE DEMS: Many of the leading Dems released their
1Q-'07 fundraising totals over the weekend. Hillary Clinton led
the field with $36 million collected in the period (note: the
number includes $11 million rolled over from her re-election race
last year). John Edwards collected around $14 million. Bill Richardson
collected $6 million, Chris Dodd collected $4 million and Joe
Biden had $3 million. Barack Obama has yet to release his specific
number, but it is believed to be around $20 million. GILMORE: Officially former Virginia Governor Jim Gilmore
(R) is still in his "exploratory" phase of his White
House campaign, but he's apparently made up his mind about what
to do. Describing himself as "the only true conservative"
in the race, he told WDBJ-TV in Roanoke that he will soon become
an official candidate and "feels confident he'll be a competitor
[for the nomination] by the end of the year."
Posted by Ron Gunzburger - 04.02.07 | Permalink
|
FREE
SPEECH ZONE.
Happy Passover to our Jewish readers.
Posted by Ron Gunzburger - 04.02.07 | Permalink
|
WANNA
TRADE?
I'm interested in building up my collection of Canadian campaign
buttons. If you've got Canadian political buttons to trade (both
federal and provincial), I'm interesting in swapping
with you (and will also trade your Canadian buttons for some of
my great US pins). Please
drop me a note! Also interested in buying Canadian pins, if
you're not interested in trading.
primary
contest, set for January 29.
VIRGINIA:
In the strongest sign yet that five-term US Senator John Warner
(R) plans to retire next year, just check out his 1Q-2007 fundraising
totals posted with the FEC. For the first three months of the
year, Warner raised just $500. No, that's not a typo. Only $500.
Just a single check received from a homemaker. "As I have said
consistently, I am seriously considering running again for the
Senate. For the present, I am devoting my full attention to my
Senate duties ... If I confirm my decision to seek reelection,
I have every confidence that I will be able to raise sufficient
resources and structure an organization to wage a vigorous campaign,"
said the 80-year-old Warner to The Politico. Warner also
said he plans to hold a fundraiser in June. Not exactly a statement
of ringing intent to run again -- and certainly not a message
that would scare away a wealthy potential rival like former Governor
Mark Warner (D).
lymphoma,
a slow-growing and not immediately life-threatening condition.
"I am in remission and it is very treatable with drugs if
treatment is needed in the future," he explained. It is believed
Thompson lobbed the cancer story to the media now to see the reaction.
If those involved in the Draft Thompson movement don't get scared
away by the revelation, look for Thompson to jump into
the race.
sounding
a bit desperate these days. The Wall Street Journal recently
reported that Gibbons is the target of an FBI investigation for
allegedly accepting secrets cash gifts from a Nevada defense contractor
in return for Gibbons steering secret federal contracts to the
company. This week Gibbons got those stories back on the
front page of Nevada newspapers by claiming "the Democrats
have paid to have these Wall Street Journal articles written."
Gibbons' press secretary later pedaled the conspiracy story, describing
the corruption allegations as "a significant effort on behalf
of the Democratic Party to aggressively attack my boss' legislative
agenda and provide further distraction, not allowing us to move
forward leading the state. As far as the Wall Street Journal
story goes, we don't know. We don't know who is providing it but
we do hear rumors just like you do." A spokesman for the
WSJ -- generally seen as a conservative, pro-Republican newspaper
-- responded: "The Wall Street Journal's articles
about Governor Gibbons are supported by extensive reporting. The
Governor's suggestion that the Journal's coverage is a
product of the Nevada Democrats is baseless."
have
been remodeling himself in a more centrist way to help position
himself for his re-election race next year. Examples: Smith now
opposes the Iraq War and called for Attorney General Al Gonzales
to resign. Dems feel bolstered because weak Governor Ted Kulongoski
(D) managed to win re-election last year and the party recaptured
control of the Oregon House. Well, Smith may have other problems
because of his move to the center. According to the Salem Statesman-Journal,
the conservative Club for Growth is possibly trying to find a
primary challenger for Smith. CFG Executive Director David Keating
told the newspaper Smith has not "done enough to control
federal spending and "it's possible" the group might financially
back a GOP challenger. Keating concedes they do not yet have a
candidate, but the newspaper notes veteran anti-tax activist Bill
Sizemore -- the 1998 GOP nominee for Governor -- said he is "giving
thought" to the race. The Dems have a similar problem as
the Club for Growth: they've yet to recruit a serious challenger,
although several are looking at the seat.
IOWA:
US Senator Tom Harkin (D) is looking increasingly strong for
his 2008 re-election race. He has more than $2 million in the
bank and the Republicans are unable to name a single viable challenger
to take on the incumbent. US Senator Chuck Grassley (R), appearing
this weekend on Iowa Public Television, was unable to name a single
major GOP hopeful looking at the race. "I don’t have
a name to throw out now, but there is a lot of people that are
asking questions about running against him and there’s a
lot of recruiting going on as well," said Grassley. Maybe
this is one reason for the problem: the Congressional Research
Service says Harkin has defeated more sitting Republican Members
of Congress -- five -- than any Democrat in the history of the
US Senate.
candidacy,
he seems all but certain to run [against US Senator Susan Collins
(R)] and had more CoH at the start of '07 than Collins."
primaries
(versus $20 million for Clinton, who had to divert some of the
large contributions to a separate fund for her potential general
election race). "What makes this achievement even more noteworthy
is that we did it without taking any money from PACs or federal
lobbyists ... [We] sent an unmistakable message to the political
establishment in Washington about the power and seriousness of
our challenge," said Obama. Also -- FYI -- add up all of
the money raised by the Dem and GOP candidates announced to date
and you get this total: Dems = $78 million, GOP = $51 million.
over
$15 million collected and $10+ million cash-on-hand. John McCain
finished the money hunt in third with $12.5 million -- a number
even McCain's campaign manager conceded was disappointing because
"we had hoped to do better." Nearly everyone was surprised
by how far McCain trailed Romney in fundraising. As for the second
tier hopefuls, Sam Brownback and Tom Tancredo each collected $1.3
million, and Mike Huckabee lagged behind with around $500,000
raised to date. No numbers were released yet for Tommy Thompson,
Jim Gilmore, Ron Paul or Duncan Hunter. "We are not playing
the first-quarter game," said Gilmore's spokesperson.
BIDEN:
Joe Biden's campaign launched a new campaign website -- 
duty
to go public given his role in helping Mr. Bush gain and keep
power." Dowd says he now supports withdrawing US troops from
Iraq, doesn't understand why Bush didn't fire Defense Secretary
Don Rumsfeld right after the Abu Ghraib revelations, and thinks
Bush's political style is intentionally divisive.
Bush is "not the person I thought," he explained. Dowd
said his views started to change when we worked on Governor Arnold
Schwarzenegger's campaign last year under a message of bipartisan
appeal. "I think we should design campaigns that appeal not
to 51% of the people, but bring the country together as a whole,"
said Dowd. Of the 2008 hopefuls -- and he isn't working for any
campaign -- Dowd says he finds Barack Obama's message of national
unity most appealing. As for Dowd, he said he would like to end
up "in Africa or South America doing something that was like
mission work ... to re-establish a level of gentleness in the
world." Responding for the White House, counselor Dan Bartlett
said the Iraq War "is an issue that divides people. Even
people that supported the President aren’t immune from having
their own feelings and emotions." While Bartlett said he
strongly disagrees with Dowd's new stance, "you can respectfully
disagree with someone who has been supportive of you." Nicole
Wallace, communications director for the Bush 2004 campaign, said
that "everyone is going to reflect on the good and the bad,
and everything in between, in their own way, and I certainly respect
the way he’s doing it -- these are his true thoughts from
a deeply personal place."
