“So here is where we are: McCain is hoping to make it a close race. Obama is hoping to make it a blowout.”
– Newsweek columnist Howard Fineman
Archive for the ‘John McCain’ Category
The 2008 Election By Numbers
Posted: October 31, 2008 in 2008 Elections, Barack Obama, Bush Administration, House of Representatives, Joe Biden, John McCain, Sarah Palin, Senate, Talking HeadsTags: 2008 Elections, Barack Obama, Beltway Drama, Bush Administration, Election Day, House of Representatives, Joe Biden, John McCain, Sarah Palin, Senate, Swing States, Talking Heads
538 – The total number of votes in the Electoral College.
270 – The number of votes in the Electoral College needed to win the White House.
72 – John McCain’s age. If elected, he would be the oldest first term president in American history.
65 – Joe Biden’s age.
47 – Barack Obama’s age.
44 – Sarah Palin’s age.
9 – The number of candidates who ran for the Democratic presidential nomination.
11 – The number of candidates who ran for the Republican presidential nomination.
43 – The number of men who have been President of the United States.
46 – The number of men who have been Vice President of the United States.
14 – The number of vice presidents who have become president.
0 – The number of women and African Americans who have been President or Vice President of the United States.
41 – The number of states that lost jobs during the month of September.
15 – The approval rating of Congress in a recent poll by CBS News and the New York Times.
22 – President George W. Bush’s approval rating in recent poll by CBS News and the New York Times.
435 – The number of members in the House of Representatives. All of them are up for re-election.
34 – The number of senators up for re-election.
60 – The number of senators necessary to break a filibuster.
150,000,000 – The record amount of money the Obama campaign raised during the month of September.
134,000,000 – The amount of money the Obama campaign had at its disposal to spend during the final month of the election.
640,000,000 – The amount of money raised by the Obama campaign.
360,000,000 – The amount of money raised by the McCain campaign.
4,191 – The number of U.S. military casualties killed in Iraq since 2003.
554 – The number of U.S. military casualties killed in Afghanistan since 2001.
537 – The number of votes that decided who won Florida and the 2000 presidential election.
123,535,883 – The number of people who voted in the 2004 presidential election.
19,549,291 – The number of ballots cast during early voting in the 2008 election.
Note: All statistics are updated as of Friday, October 31.
With Friends Like These…
Posted: October 31, 2008 in 2008 Elections, John McCain, Sarah PalinTags: 2008 Elections, John McCain, Lawrence Eagleburger, Republicans, Sarah Palin
Former Secretary of State Lawrence Eagleburger rips Sarah Palin during an NPR interview where he was supposed to be making the case for his candidate John McCain.
A former Republican Secretary of State and one of John McCain’s most prominent supporters offered a stunningly frank and remarkably bleak assessment of Sarah Palin’s capacity to handle the presidency should such a scenario arise.
Lawrence Eagleburger, who served as Secretary of State under George H.W. Bush and whose endorsement is often trumpeted by McCain, said on Thursday that the Alaska governor is not only unprepared to take over the job on a moment’s notice but, even after some time in office, would only amount to an “adequate” commander in chief.
“And I devoutly hope that [she] would never be tested,” he added for good measure — referring both to Palin’s policy dexterity and the idea of McCain not making it through his time in office. (Listen to audio below.)
The remarks took place during an interview on National Public Radio that was, ironically, billed as “making the case” for a McCain presidency. Asked by the host whether Palin could step in during a time of crisis, Eagleburger reverted to sarcasm before leveling the harsh blow.
“It is a very good question,” he said, pausing a few seconds, then adding with a chuckle: “I’m being facetious here. Look, of course not.”
Expect him to join Carly Fiorina at the undisclosed location for McCain surrogates during the final days of the campaign.
Bringing Out the Big Guns
Posted: October 31, 2008 in 2008 Elections, Barack Obama, John McCainTags: 2008 Elections, Al Gore, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Barack Obama, Bill Clinton, Florida, John McCain, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Swing States
The closing arguments have been made, now both campaigns are calling in the A-list surrogates and going for a strong finish in the key battleground states before Election Day.
Obama called in Bill Clinton and Al Gore to hit Florida.
McCain called in Arnold Schwarzenegger to hit the campaign trail for him in Ohio.
This is almost an exact replay of what happened four years ago, when Clinton hit the trail for John Kerry in Pennsylvania and Schwarzenegger hit the trail for President Bush in Ohio.
Not the Other Guy
Posted: October 30, 2008 in 2008 Elections, John McCainTags: 2008 Elections, John Kerry, John McCain
John Cole notes the surprising similarity between the core message of John Kerry in 2004 and John McCain this year. He makes broader points about rebuilding the Republican grassroots movement, but he is absolutely right that “Not Bush” in 2004 and “Not Obama” in 2008 were/are not winning messages. Kerry and McCain each have their unique personalities, strengths and weaknesses as political candidates, but their fundamental problem was the same: they were unable to make the case as to why people should vote for them, rather than voting against the other guy.
Palin Looking Ahead to 2012
Posted: October 30, 2008 in 2008 Elections, John McCain, Sarah PalinTags: 2008 Elections, Is It 2012 Yet?, John McCain, Mitt Romney, Republicans, Sarah Palin
Down in the polls but certainly not out, Gov. Sarah Palin remains in the fight as the campaign enters its final week.
In an interview with ABC News’ Elizabeth Vargas, the Republican vice-presidential nominee was asked about 2012, whether she was discouraged by the daily attacks on the campaign trail, and would instead pack it in and return to her home state of Alaska.
“I think that, if I were to give up and wave a white flag of surrender against some of the political shots that we’ve taken, that would bring this whole & I’m not doing this for naught,” Palin said.
Palin said she believed in the current GOP ticket and that she was “thinking that it’s going to go our way on Tuesday, Nov. 4. I truly believe that the wisdom of the people will be revealed on that day,” she said.
Also see this live report from CNN’s Dana Bash:
This may be the ultimate jumping the shark moment for a campaign that has had more than its fair share already. Sarah Palin has essentially told the world that she’s looking out for Number 1. Expect to see another series of damaging internal campaign strife stories from former Romney aides who want to kneecap her to give their man frontrunner status for the next election.
Update: ABC News screwed up hard with the initial writeup of the article to the point where it was blatantly misleading and rapidly picked up by other news organizations. Someone seriously needs to be fired over this. Here’s the complete transcript of the exchange:
ELIZABETH VARGAS: If it doesn’t go your way on Tuesday … 2012?
GOV SARAH PALIN: I’m just … thinkin’ that it’s gonna go our way on Tuesday, November 4. I truly believe that the wisdom of … of the people will be revealed on that day. As they enter that voting booth, they will understand the stark contrast between the two tickets. …
VARGAS: But the point being that you haven’t been so bruised by some of the double standard, the sexism on the campaign trail, to say, “I’ve had it. I’m going back to Alaska.”
PALIN: Absolutely not. I think that, if I were to give up and wave a white flag of surrender against some of the political shots that we’ve taken, that … that would … bring this whole … I’m not doin’ this for naught.
Icepicks and Nukes 