Michelle Obama, appearing last night at the Democratic National Convention, sans horns.
** HILLARY SAVES THE DAY FOR THE DEMS. Although the Democratic convention’s secondary speakers picked it up some today in crafting the “contrast” with John McCain, they were largely ignored by the press and the ever-chattering talking heads of cable news.
And after former Virginia Governor Mark Warner’s keynote address, it appeared that half the convention might pass with McCain escaping unscathed.
Warner ran for awhile for president before dropping out to take on a sure shot election in November replacing Virginia’s retiring senator, John Warner. Mark Warner gave a speech about the future vs. the past, and pushed a post-partisan theme. Now, readers now that the future vs. the past them is right up my alley. And I’ve certainly written a lot about post-partisanship.
But this is a party convention. In a time when the Republican brand is in the dumpster. There’s not much risk in wrapping it around John McCain like a toga. And even if one is not a union hall firebreather, which Warner certainly is not, you can take the future/past frame, select several 60% issues, and make your opponents look like the most backward characters imaginable. And devastate them with independents. All with a smile.
Warner didn’t do that. Before he was done, I was reading a recap of Mad Men.
Which put the success of the day all on Hillary Clinton. Who delivered. She did what a keynoter is supposed to do. What Obama himself did four years ago, though not so eloquently.
Clinton defined the nature of the choice in ways appealing to moderates and independents as well as partisan Democrats. And she took out after her old friend, John McCain.
Of course, there is one big caveat here, as my old friend and colleague Marc Cooper points out. The reason Hillary had to make this speech is because she kept fighting on for months after she had no realistic scenario for victory, stoking the sort of bitter end sentiments that allow McCain to have a shot at winning.
Here are some excerpts.
I am honored to be here tonight. A proud mother. A proud Democrat. A proud American. And a proud supporter of Barack Obama. …
No way. No how. No McCain. …
Now, John McCain is my colleague and my friend. He has served our country with honor and courage. But we don’t need four more years . . . of the last eight years.
More economic stagnation …and less affordable health care.
More high gas prices …and less alternative energy.
More jobs getting shipped overseas …and fewer jobs created here.
More skyrocketing debt …home foreclosures …and mounting bills that are crushing our middle class families.
More war . . . less diplomacy.
More of a government where the privileged come first …and everyone else comes last.
John McCain says the economy is fundamentally sound. John McCain doesn’t think that 47 million people without health insurance is a crisis. John McCain wants to privatize Social Security. And in 2008, he still thinks it’s okay when women don’t earn equal pay for equal work.
With an agenda like that, it makes sense that George Bush and John McCain will be together next week in the Twin Cities. Because these days they’re awfully hard to tell apart.
** INDIANA POLL: MCCAIN BY 4. The latest Rasmussen poll of unlikely battleground state Indiana shows John McCain leading Barack Obama, 46% to 42%.
** CALIFORNIA POLL: OBAMA BY 14. The latest Rasmussen poll of blue state California shows Barack Obama way ahead of John McCain, 51% to 37%.
The two politicians’ image scores don’t give McCain much room for growth. Obama is 61-39, favorable/unfavorable. McCain is 51-48, favorable/unfavorable.
** NEW MAC ATTACK ADS NOT REALLY RUNNING. As I suggested in my new column, linked to below, most of these new John McCain TV ads aren’t really running anywhere. According to the Wall Street Journal, a media tracking service checked the buying of air time and calls the new ads “video press releases.”
** DISTRACT AND DETRACT: MCCAIN COUNTER-PROGRAMS THE D.N.C., AND HIMSELF. My new column.
** THE CLINTON MELODRAMA. Now for more of that hardy media perennial, the melodrama around the Clintons. Hillary speaks tonight at the convention, along with the ostensible keynoters, former Virginia Governor Mark Warner. While there are hard feelings between the Obama and Clinton camps, she has, as I reported over the weekend, released her delegates. There won’t be a full roll call tonight. She’ll concede at a certain point, and that will be that.
Meanwhile, two big Clinton backers spoke to the California delegation meeting this morning — Ohio Governor Ted Strickland (whose support was key to Clinton winning the Ohio primary and is key to Obama winning the state in November, and New York Governor David Paterson. Their big message? Unity and moving forward with Obama.
** SCHWARZENEGGER OPENS SMALL PATH THROUGH BILLS BLOCKADE. As part of his pressure tactics on a recalcitrant Legislature around the chronic California budget crisis, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger instituted a bills blockade, insisting he won’t sign new legislation till the budget is done. This morning, he opened up a small path through his blockade, for a a few select issues that need to go on the November ballot.
Writing to the four legislative leaders, Schwarzenegger said: The deadline for enacting measures for the November 2008 ballot is upon us. Any measures that must be placed on the November ballot must be acted on quickly. There are four measures that fall into this category: a measure that makes critical changes to the high-speed rail bond already slated to appear on the November ballot; a measure to allow the state to improve the performance of the Lottery, which is critical to the budget negotiations now underway; legislation to establish a rainy-day fund and reform our budget process; and a general obligation bond measure to address the mounting state’s water crisis. I urge you to send me these measures that must be placed on the November ballot immediately.
** QUINNIPIAC POLLS: SPLIT DECISIONS IN BATTLEGROUND STATES. The new Quinnipiac polls of three key battleground states — Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Florida — contains mixed tidings for both Barack Obama and John McCain, and signs of slippage for Obama. Since 1960, no one has been elected president without winning two of these trhee states.
Obama had the lead in all three states at the end of July. That’s changed. In Pennsylvania, it’s Obama, 49-42 (Obama’s lead holding steady there). In Ohio, it’s Obama by an eyelash, 44-43. In Florida, it’s McCain, 47-43.
Voters in all three states say they want a Democratic president. But they have doubt about Obama. And they still see McCain as more than a regular Republican.
It will be interesting to see if the hits on McCain start coming today at the Democratic national convention. That was the missing element in last night’s presentation.
The Quinnipiac poll director comments: “Sen. Obama needs to close the sale with voters who want a Democrat, but because of Sen. McCain’s strength at this point, they don’t want this Democrat,” said Brown. “Much of the reason for this disparity is that Sen. McCain is drawing support from voters who say they don’t want a Republican in the White House.
“In fact, McCain is running an average of 9 percentage points ahead of the ‘generic Republican.’ Whether this reflects Obama’s weakness or McCain’s strength, the effect has been to make a close race out of a campaign many initially expected to be an easy Democratic win.
“If Obama picked Sen. Joseph Biden to solidify his foreign affairs credentials, he did so with good reason. By wide margins voters – even some Obama supporters – trust McCain more to handle terrorism and international problems. By smaller margins, Obama still is viewed as best able to fix the economy, which voters overwhelmingly see as the most important issue in the election.”
“The electorate is split by gender and age. The gender gap is not new; Democrats have been winning among women and losing men for decades. But it’s larger than in some recent elections and that is because of the white vote – since Obama is going to get virtually all the African American vote, male or female. But the large age gap is new. This could be the first generational election in recent history.”
** WHERE THEY ARE TODAY.
Barack Obama is in Missouri. He holds a discussion at a town hall on domestic policy in Kansas City.
John McCain is in Arizona and California. He addresses the American Legion convention in Phoenix and has a fundraiser in San Diego.
Ted Kennedy, introduced by his niece Caroline Kennedy, made a dramatic appearance last night at the Democratic National Convention.
** FROM THE ARNOLD FILE. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger will private meetings and discussions in and around the Capitol today, focusing on the chronic California budget crisis. He appeared yesterday at John McCain’s Sacramento fundraiser, but did not speak or take questions.
First Lady Maria Shriver is in Denver for the Democratic national convention, prominently shown on-screen when her great friend Caroline Kennedy introduced their uncle, Senator Ted Kennedy.
Schwarzenegger is scheduled to be the first speaker in prime time opening next week’s Republican national convention in St. Paul. But if the state budget has not been adopted, he won’t be going, even though next Monday is Labor Day and the Legislature will almost certainly not be in session.
** “NEW COLD WAR” LEAVES VOTERS COOL BUT SHOWS OBAMA’S NEED. Given how tentative Barack Obama is in discussing geopolitics, his running mate is unusually important. But there’s some good news for Obama with regard to John McCain’s New Cold War rhetoric. If he and his team can engage successfully with the Vietnam War hero.
McCain’s hot rhetoric in the wake of the Russia-Georgia War — “We are all Georgians,” which of course hasn’t done a thing for Georgians — isn’t catching on. But McCain is still seen as the national security/geopolitics maven.
Meanwhile, Vladimir Putin’s plans are working and there are some bad repercussions for US policy coming down the pike. After a visit to Moscow by Syria’s president, Russia may be getting a naval base in Syria. And sending a task force with an aircraft carrier and subs to the Mediterranean, all the better to bollix up US strategy in the Middle East. And oil power Kazakhstan, not to be confused with the Borat fantasy, is moving under Moscow’s umbrella. … Friday’s column from my HuffPost blog.
** DARK KNIGHT AMERICA. All the hyperpartisan spin aside, here is where we are in a deeper cultural sense. The Dark Knight ends up in much the same place we find ourselves today. Bereft of a clearcut hero. Having narrowly survived a fundamental assault against our essential selves. And wondering what comes next. … From my other blog.
** 24/7 LIVE TV NEWS FEED FROM RUSSIA TODAY. Russia has re-emerged as one of the world’s great powers. Click here for a live TV news feed on your computer, bringing you English-language, jargon-free, fast-paced coverage of global and Russian news from the new Russia Today channel. You probably already know about CNN International, BBC World, and Al Jazeera. Russia Today, which also features culture, entertainment, and sports, is based in Moscow and is owned and operated by the TV Novosti division of Russia’s state news agency, RIA Novosti.
While it’s quite foolish to expect to see, say, criticism of Vladimir Putin on Russia Today, which I know as a former DemRussia advisor, the channel is very interesting nonetheless. With U.S. cable news chattering away as it does, this sort of respite can be informative. The NWN live link to RT does not constitute an endorsement of the channel’s views. It’s presented as an otherwise unavailable new media window.
** TRACK GLOBAL AND U.S. ENERGY PRICES IN NEAR REAL TIME VIA BLOOMBERG ENERGY MARKET WATCH. After crashing over $147 for yet another record on July 11th, crude oil is trading around $116 per barrel.
The drop of over $31 per barrel comes on acknowledgement that the weak US economy will cut future demand and the easing of geopolitical tensions in the Middle East. The Russian war with Georgia, confounding much speculation and reporting to the contrary, actually decreased the geopolitical risk premium. Though the repercussions may not.
Your posts are welcome in the Forum.
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| Comments (71) |
Michelle Obama is very appealing.
Michelle did a great job.
I’m wondering when they are going after McCain and Bush. They can’t play patty cake and beat these guys.
I got chills watching Teddy Kennedy.
Sadly, that is Sen. Kennedy’s last speech at a Democratic convention. He made it another great one. That’s what we will remember.
Michelle did great, in a lot of ways. Obama’s kids were cute — I bet the 7-year-old runs that house.
Senator Kennedy — just remarkable.
And good news on the faux assassination plot.
This morning listening to NPR, I heard that McCain’s health care plan RAISES TAXES. How come Obama isn’t beating this like a drum?!
With these numbers in Ohio, Obama’s campaign had better start beating McCain like a drum today.
Well, at least his running mate has hair whiter than the papers littering my desk. That should help.
His hair is as thin as the papers littering your desk.
It’s neither shocking nor particulary worrisome that, in these three battleground states, Obama is slipping and McCain rising a little. McCain must hold Florida and (almost certainly) Ohio to win. If Obama wins all three, that’s an (electoral college) landslide scenario. Obama can lose both Ohio and Florida and still win the election with a couple of pickups in Western purple states.
Still, any more slippage would be worrisome
.
Old folks like old folks — I think many older Americans want to vote for Obama, but want to be sure there’s and “adult” (someone over 60) in the White House. Same reason Bush picked Cheney. Biden is going to help Obama in these older states.
I sure hope Ohio is going to vote for a black man. Tom Hayden said yesterday he expects McCain to win.
“I sure hope Ohio is going to vote for a black man.”
I doubt McCain is much a hero to bigots. He took lots of fire on conservative radio for partnering with the liberal icon Kennedy to “give amnesty to illegals.” Maybe all these jackasses will stay home.
>McCain’s hot rhetoric in the wake of the Russia-Georgia War — “We are all Georgians,” which of course hasn’t done a thing for Georgians — isn’t catching on. But McCain is still seen as the national security/geopolitics maven.<
what were those Ruskies thinking? that they could invade a sovereign nation in the 21st century and occupy it? Mccain is shocked, simply shocked, that such a thing could occur!
McCain as a ‘national security maven’ backed every crackpot dictator from Duvalier to Botha, from Marcos to Rios Montt, from Napolean Duarte to Yelstin . He helped fund Reagun’s ‘freedom fighters’ in Afghanistan, who came back to haunt us on 9/11/01. Now he supports the warlords who have increased opium production and the ‘concerned citizens’ of Iraq who use taxpayer funded bribes to buy arms to carry out ethnic cleansing.
But Hayden is right, McCain will ‘win’ (or steal) this election, with help from the Clntons, who want HRC to be able to run in 2012. Check Democracy Now for a great interview with John R MacArthur re: what’s really going on.
http://www.democracynow.org/2008/8/25/rick_macarthur_you_cant_be_president
Paul, you leave me dizzy man!
hey can i ask a Russian/Georgia/South Ossetia question… maybe Bill or Sergio can help to enlighten my obvious American ignorance….
as i am reading this now (with only the context i’ve gotten over the last few weeks), South Ossetia does not want to be a part of Georgia… they want to be more connected with Russia. is that correct? was that true when Georgia was formed? and how, if Georgia does not want to be associated with one country and does want to be associated with another, is it fostering democracy to (as in the US’s position) to back Georgia in their military position to hold on to that region? am i just asking a radically naive question, or do i not understand something (given the lack of depth in my historical context)? and if it is not about fostering democracy (or at least could be perceived that way), then why are we putting ourselves so out there to support Georgia? esp. given that we are likely to be seen as simply he man behind the Wizard’s facade; i don’t see how this serves us politically or geographically.
South Ossetia identifies more with Russia. Russia has issued passports to South Ossetians. Russia has worked assiduously to undermine the ties there with Georgia.
Astonishing, no?
>Paul Burton:
>McCain’s hot rhetoric in the wake of the Russia-Georgia War — “We are all Georgians,” which of course hasn’t done a thing for Georgians — isn’t catching on. But McCain is still seen as the national security/geopolitics maven.<
what were those Ruskies thinking? that they could invade a sovereign nation in the 21st century and occupy it? Mccain is shocked, simply shocked, that such a thing could occur!
Well, he is a white war hero …
>Brasky:
“I sure hope Ohio is going to vote for a black man.”
I doubt McCain is much a hero to bigots. He took lots of fire on conservative radio for partnering with the liberal icon Kennedy to “give amnesty to illegals.” Maybe all these jackasses will stay home.
Aug 26, 2008 – 11:24 am
Tom Hayden can be more than a bit morose.
>marcus waldron:
I sure hope Ohio is going to vote for a black man. Tom Hayden said yesterday he expects McCain to win.
Aug 26, 2008 – 10:55 am
Well, that’s the plan, in part.
>Brasky:
Old folks like old folks — I think many older Americans want to vote for Obama, but want to be sure there’s and “adult” (someone over 60) in the White House. Same reason Bush picked Cheney. Biden is going to help Obama in these older states.
Aug 26, 2008 – 10:26 am
It should be worrisome.
>Chris M:
It’s neither shocking nor particulary worrisome that, in these three battleground states, Obama is slipping and McCain rising a little. McCain must hold Florida and (almost certainly) Ohio to win. If Obama wins all three, that’s an (electoral college) landslide scenario. Obama can lose both Ohio and Florida and still win the election with a couple of pickups in Western purple states.
Still, any more slippage would be worrisome
.
Aug 26, 2008 – 10:02 am
Now, now.
>Jack Aubrey:
His hair is as thin as the papers littering your desk.
Aug 26, 2008 – 9:59 am
What, do you use recycled paper?
>Brasky:
Well, at least his running mate has hair whiter than the papers littering my desk. That should help.
Aug 26, 2008 – 9:42 am
True.
I suspect Hillary is going to brandish her hatchet.
>Jack Aubrey:
With these numbers in Ohio, Obama’s campaign had better start beating McCain like a drum today.
Aug 26, 2008 – 9:38 am
What tax does it raise?
>Brasky:
This morning listening to NPR, I heard that McCain’s health care plan RAISES TAXES. How come Obama isn’t beating this like a drum?!
Aug 26, 2008 – 9:34 am
Some zanies with meth and rifles don’t necessarily make up a real assassination plot.
>Brasky:
Michelle did great, in a lot of ways. Obama’s kids were cute — I bet the 7-year-old runs that house.
Senator Kennedy — just remarkable.
And good news on the faux assassination plot.
Aug 26, 2008 – 9:32 am
He gave a wonderful speech. It was touch and go for him to make that appearance.
>Capitol Boy:
Sadly, that is Sen. Kennedy’s last speech at a Democratic convention. He made it another great one. That’s what we will remember.
Aug 26, 2008 – 8:59 am
Presumably not a feeling running up your leg, however …
>Jonas Blane:
I got chills watching Teddy Kennedy.
Aug 26, 2008 – 8:51 am
That would be today, I think.
>Len:
I’m wondering when they are going after McCain and Bush. They can’t play patty cake and beat these guys.
Aug 26, 2008 – 8:47 am
“Presumably not a feeling running up your leg, however …”
he is never going to live that down… it will be his epitaph. : )
She sounded and looked very good. Not the angry caricature she’s made out to be.
>Jonas Blane:
Michelle Obama is very appealing.
Aug 26, 2008 – 8:37 am
Chris Mathews cracks me up. He was ANCHORING when he said that.
>four waters:
“Presumably not a feeling running up your leg, however …”
he is never going to live that down… it will be his epitaph. : )
Aug 26, 2008 – 12:56 pm
“What tax does it raise?”
McCain would raise a tax on employer-provided health care plans. He would include health benefits as taxable income, so the business and the worker would both be taxed. It would likely cause many employers to drop coverage, the remaining that keep it would be taxed, as would their employees. He would offer “credits”, but many Americans would find themselves on the short end of the equation from day one, and almost everyone else would be hard-pressed to keep up with double-digit health care inflation with a stagnant tax credit.
Of the Americans that have health care, the majority get it through their employer.
This is a dumb, dumb, dumb idea. Both for policy and politics.
“THE CLINTON MELODRAMA.”
yawn
“Some zanies with meth and rifles don’t necessarily make up a real assassination plot.”
No. It sounds more like every episode of “COPS” I’ve ever seen — especially the jumping out the window.
Is there any quality control at all in the Governor’s office? Granted, I’m a former English teacher, and notice this stuff, but for heaven’s sake:
“. . . a general obligation bond measure to address the mounting state’s water crisis.”
Maybe he’s trying to give us a new state nickname.
“Last night, John McCain appeared on The Tonight Show for the 13th time. Where he answered Jay Leno’s question about how many homes he owns by citing his status as a POW.
The appearance seems to have been lost in the media shuffle.
Who else has been on The Tonight Show 13 times?
Pamela Anderson. Jennifer Love Hewitt. Dr. Phil. Simon Cowell from American Idol.”
PRICELESS!
“NEW MAC ATTACK ADS NOT REALLY RUNNING.”
For the national political press, whatever happens in D.C. is more important than what happens in the other 3.8 million square miles of the United States.
I knew it.
I love the new column. Run some excerpts here.
You nailed it on Huffington Post.
** DISTRACT AND DETRACT: MCCAIN COUNTER-PROGRAMS THE D.N.C., AND HIMSELF. My new column.
Thanks.
I’ll do that tomorrow.
>Capitol Boy:
I love the new column. Run some excerpts here.
Aug 26, 2008 – 3:39 pm
It’s happened before.
>marcus waldron:
I knew it.
Aug 26, 2008 – 3:38 pm
The ads are shiny lure the media can’t resist.
>Brasky:
“NEW MAC ATTACK ADS NOT REALLY RUNNING.”
For the national political press, whatever happens in D.C. is more important than what happens in the other 3.8 million square miles of the United States.
Aug 26, 2008 – 3:37 pm
That ad writes itself.
>Brasky:
“Last night, John McCain appeared on The Tonight Show for the 13th time. Where he answered Jay Leno’s question about how many homes he owns by citing his status as a POW.
The appearance seems to have been lost in the media shuffle.
Who else has been on The Tonight Show 13 times?
Pamela Anderson. Jennifer Love Hewitt. Dr. Phil. Simon Cowell from American Idol.”
PRICELESS!
Aug 26, 2008 – 2:47 pm
It’s just a transposition.
>Prospero:
Is there any quality control at all in the Governor’s office? Granted, I’m a former English teacher, and notice this stuff, but for heaven’s sake:
“. . . a general obligation bond measure to address the mounting state’s water crisis.”
Maybe he’s trying to give us a new state nickname.
Aug 26, 2008 – 1:32 pm
I don’t watch Cops.
>Brasky:
“Some zanies with meth and rifles don’t necessarily make up a real assassination plot.”
No. It sounds more like every episode of “COPS” I’ve ever seen — especially the jumping out the window.
Aug 26, 2008 – 1:22 pm