Of concern to McCain’s campaign, however, is a remaining and still-undisclosed clip from Palin’s interview with Couric last week that has the political world buzzing.
The Palin aide, after first noting how “infuriating” it was for CBS to purportedly leak word about the gaffe, revealed that it came in response to a question about Supreme Court decisions.
After noting Roe vs. Wade, Palin was apparently unable to discuss any major court cases.
There was no verbal fumbling with this particular question as there was with some others, the aide said, but rather silence.
Monthly Archive for September, 2008
A few weeks ago I almost vomited when I read this Newsweek article, entitled “Put Palin on the Supreme Court.” That was when Palinmania was at its peak. Oh, how the mighty have fallen:
This is not at all a surprise but still, a big one.
Minnesota Farmers Union President Doug Peterson:
“Al Franken will be a Senator rural Minnesota can count on. He knows the important role agriculture plays in Minnesota’s economy, but he also understands what it means to make a living off the land. And I’m confident that Al has what it takes to keep the rural economy strong for generations to come, working to build roads, bridges, schools, and hospitals — and helping to keep our young people in our communities. Family farmers need a reliable and strong advocate in the Senate, and I can tell you that’s exactly what they’ll get in Al Franken.”
Al Franken:
“I am honored by this endorsement and proud of all the support I’ve received from the family farmers who make Minnesota a national leader in agriculture. I will work hard in Washington to protect and strengthen the farm safety net, support trade policies that help our family farmers, and create jobs in rural Minnesota by making it the epicenter and engine of a renewable energy economy. Norm Coleman hasn’t always stood up for Minnesota farmers – but I’ll be a Senator they can count on.”
Full audio of Franken accepting this endorsement here.
The DFL chimed in today too:
Since his arrival in the Senate, Norm Coleman has consistently put the special interests in Washington, D.C. before the interests of Minnesota farmers. From his vote for the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) to his votes to cut funding for renewable-energy programs and his vote against County of Origin Labeling (COOL), Norm Coleman has continually hung rural Minnesota out to dry.
Full press release below.
Contrast the reactions of Sen. Obama and Sen. McCain to news that the House had rejected the bailout bill:
First, Obama:
Senator Barack Obama implored Americans and the financial markets to “stay calm” after the $700 billion rescue plan failed in the House on Monday, and he urged Democrats and Republicans to reach agreement on a package to stabilize the nation’s financial system.
“One of the messages I have to Congress is, ‘Get this done,’ ” Mr. Obama said, speaking at a rally here less than an hour after the financial legislation was rejected by the House of Representatives. “Democrats, Republicans step up to the plate and get this done.”
McCain, by contrast ignored reporters questions on the subject and his campaign put out a statement under the name of economic advisor Holtz-Eakin (the same guy who claimed McCain invented the Blackberry) blaming Obama:
“This bill failed because Barack Obama and the Democrats put politics ahead of country.” –McCain-Palin senior policy adviser Doug Holtz-Eakin
Bottom line: Obama acted like a President today and McCain acted like a desperate politician.
Voting Aye -
Ellison
Kline
McCollum
Oberstar
Voting Nay -
Bachmann
Peterson
Ramstad
Walz
Am I the only one here surprised that Kline voted for it and Ramstad voted against it?
Are you for it, against it, or splitting your time between stuffing your life savings in a mattress and looking for a cozy cave to ride out the coming disaster?
My thoughts a little later in the afternoon (right now I want to eat some lunch)
Michael Grunwald has a very entertaining and insightful article up on Time titled “Oh, the Drama! McCain in the Theater of the Absurd.” The article chronicles the insanity and absurdity that has been the McCain campaign over the last week. Like I said, it’s a very entertaining column and a pretty quick read, but for the impatient, here’s the punchline:
On Friday, though, McCain realized it probably wasn’t in his interest to let Obama have the stage to himself, so he announced that he was going to debate after all, since the stalled negotiations were now on track, although in fact the on-track negotiations were now stalled, but whatever. By the time he left Washington — some Democrats suggested this was no coincidence — the negotiations seemed to un-stall. The bailout now appears to be back on track for next week, and at the debate, McCain suggested that he supports it. The wacky events of the week went unmentioned, and McCain made a strong case for himself as the candidate of adult leadership. Which, if you’ve been paying attention to his campaign, is probably true if your idea of an adult is Terrell Owens, although Terrell Owens is at least capable of running in a straight line.
There is, of course, a serious point to all this mishigas. The last eight years may have been a geopolitical and economic disaster, but one thing they have not lacked is drama. They’ve been eight exhausting years, and when Obama talks about change, he’s implicitly talking about giving Americans a break, a timeout from grand history. It’s like those T-shirts during the primary: End the Drama — Vote Obama. McCain has tried to make a similar case in a different way, arguing that he’s steady and experienced while Obama is risky and dangerous. That case can get lost in his roller-coaster campaign.
Karl Bremer has a good story on the media not doing their research and copy/pasting Republican press releases:
Norm Coleman’s campaign, highly paid Republican bloggers and their lapdogs in the mainstream media are trumpeting the news that former DFL state senator Doug Johnson of Cook has endorsed Republican Norm Coleman for U.S. Senate. What they aren’t telling you is that Johnson is a registered lobbyist for Excelsior Energy, which is trying to build a controversial $2.3 billion “clean coal” energy plant on the Iron Range that has earned Norm Coleman’s enthusiastic support for tens of millions of dollars in federal grants and loan guarantees.
I’m glad someone is doing the research.
Zack Adds: Aaron Brown has a worthwhile take on Johnson’s endorsement of Coleman.
A second reading of the story tells me that this is part personal for Doug, as he knew Coleman when he was a fellow conservative Democrat and has personal regard for him. Doug is also a lobbyist now, and many of his key projects have enjoyed Norm’s support in Congress (most of them involve federal permits, grants or loans). The question (posed by the Pioneer Press first) is “will this change the dynamic of the Senate race?”
A little, maybe, but probably not much. Johnson has been out of office for six years and has mostly been lobbying (and fishing) since. He has loyal supporters in the more rustic environs of the Iron Range, but I don’t know that vast legions of DFL voters follow his advice on the Senate race.
Make sure to read the whole thing.
I’ve always thought that the post-debate spin-o-rama on who won or lost a debate is incredibly silly, but for better or worse, it’s become a part of the whole debate process. But no matter what the pundits say (and they seem to call this one a draw favoring Obama), what’s most important is what the American people thought and here there’s no doubt Obama won. For example:
According to CBS News / Knowledge Networks’ poll of undecided voters: 40% of uncommitted voters who watched the debate tonight thought Barack Obama was the winner. 22% thought John McCain won. 38% saw it as a draw. 68% of these voters think Obama would make the right decision about the economy. 41% think McCain would. [CBS News / Knowledge Network Undecideds Give Debate To Obama] [via Ambinder]
That’s pretty brutal, and CNN’s poll of people who watched the debate turns up the same results:
Who Did the Best Job In the Debate?
Obama 51%
McCain 38%Who Would Better Handle Economy?
Obama 58%
McCain 37%Who Would Better Handle Iraq?
Obama 52%
McCain 47%
Personally, I thought it was pretty uneventful, but that played right into Obama’s hands. He was able to portray himself as a competent and in control leader. McCain’s performance was very passable, but his messaging seemed somewhat inconsistent and his tone often came across as petty and bitter (which was in no way helped by his stubborn refusal to even glance in Obama’s direction). But, like I said, who cares what I or anyone else thinks; when it comes to election day it’s just you and a ballot alone together in a booth. (which is why the above numbers are such good news)
I’m not usually one to schlep for TV shows, but this sounds like it could be very interesting. Plus, Mary promises “three bombshells,” so how could you not watch!?
Tune in to Almanac tonight because we think we have some news to report. I’ve been working on the biographies of the Senate candidates in a show called “The Big Three” it’s the big three moments of the three candidates’ lives, the personal turning points for Dean Barkley, Norm Coleman and Al Franken. The whole program premieres Oct. 22 8:00 pm on TPT-2.
We got amazing access to all the candidates’ homes, wives, and children for emotional and candid interviews. One candidate revealed something that he told me he wanted to get out before his opponents got to it first. We will reveal that tonight on Almanac. Next week we’ll have more interesting news on another candidate. We’re talking about things that everyone has whispered about in Minnesota politics for years, but rarely if ever talked about on the record.
So, for all of those who wondered why my blog and I dropped off the radar screen recently, this is why. This project has been incredibly surprising, rewarding and draining. I see all the candidates in a different light and understand them on a deeply personal level and I think viewers will too. We’ve never seen them like this. I really have to thank the Barkleys, Colemans and Frankens for being so willing to open up about some of the most difficult times of their lives.
Steve Sarvi got a nice guest post on The Hill:
[Kline’s] excuse for short-changing veterans? According to the Minneapolis Star Tribune, his spokesman says it is because he is fiscally conservative.
Really?
It is so-called fiscal conservatives like Kline who approved runaway spending in Iraq and the Bush tax cuts which have led to huge deficit spending and a $3 trillion growth in the federal debt. Meanwhile, Kline and this Administration have presided over the greatest growth of government in our history. That is not conservatism; it is profligacy pretending to be conservative.
Who pays? Veterans, seniors, the middle class and others who can least afford to. But people are figuring it out.
Read the whole piece here.
DFLers have long known that the 3rd district Congressional battle is one of the best chances for a pick-up in the House this year that Democrats have, but it looks as though the national media has caught on as well. Chris Cillizza has seen fit to once again move the race up in his weekly ranking of competitive house races:
17. Minnesota’s 3rd district (R): This suburban Twin Cities district is playing host to a great congressional race to replace retiring Rep. Jim Ramstad (R). The contest looks like a toss up but the DCCC is now up with a commercial casting state Sen. Erik Paulsen (R) as a career politician and Patriot Majority Midwest is also hammering Paulsen on TV. It could make the difference. (Previous ranking: 18)
Madia and his campaign have been running circles around Paulsen in the 3rd and the DCCC has noticed. The DCCC is now hitting Paulsen hard but there’s little doubt that the Republicans will do (and have been doing) anything and everything they can to hold the line in the western suburbs. So I certainly hope that the national operators continue to throw more resources and attention at this compelling pick-up opportunity. Fortunately, I have no doubt that Madia will continue to out-class, out-smart, and out-hustle the Bachmann wanna-be that is Erik Paulsen.
A writer at the nation’s most famous conservative publication is calling for Sarah Palin to withdraw from the race:
Palin’s recent interviews with Charles Gibson, Sean Hannity, and now Katie Couric have all revealed an attractive, earnest, confident candidate. Who Is Clearly Out Of Her League.
No one hates saying that more than I do. Like so many women, I’ve been pulling for Palin, wishing her the best, hoping she will perform brilliantly. I’ve also noticed that I watch her interviews with the held breath of an anxious parent, my finger poised over the mute button in case it gets too painful. Unfortunately, it often does. My cringe reflex is exhausted…
…Only Palin can save McCain, her party, and the country she loves. She can bow out for personal reasons, perhaps because she wants to spend more time with her newborn. No one would criticize a mother who puts her family first.
Do it for your country.
This would be like the Nation calling for Biden to drop out. Ouch!
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