Quote of the Day

Posted: October 30, 2008 in 2008 Elections, Quotes, Senate
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“When you’re making ads that say ‘There is no God,’ it usually means your campaign doesn’t have much of a prayer.”
– GOP strategist Alex Castellanos

McCain Playing Defense in Arizona

Posted: October 30, 2008 in 2008 Elections, Barack Obama, John McCain
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If you need proof that the McCain campaign is taking the tightening poll numbers in Arizona seriously, here it is:

John McCain and the Republican National Committee are now running robocalls attacking Obama as weak on terrorism — in McCain’s home state of Arizona, according to multiple readers from the state.

The call signals genuine worry about McCain’s home state at a time when several polls show the race to be much closer than expected there.

McCain’s robocall, which was played to us over the phone by Mary Joe Bartel, a retiree who lives south of Tucson, attacks Obama as unprepared to defend the country from terrorism, singling out Joe Biden’s recent remarks about the likelihood of Obama being tested by an international crisis early in his first term.

This is extraordinary. It may seem like I’m being hard on McCain, but the sad reality is his campaign is a trainwreck happening in slow motion. If Obama had to spend time and money this late in the game to defend Illinois, I would be saying exactly the same thing. Looks like we may be in for a few more surprises on Election Day.

Update: According to Richard Wolffe, the Obama campaign is looking at the numbers and considering its options to make a last-minute push to contest the state – in the form of ads, staff and volunteers on the ground, or a visit from the candidate himself.

Obama’s war of attrition strategy, which he used effectively against Hillary Clinton, might work here as well. If he spends money on advertising or makes a campaign visit to Arizona, he may force McCain to have to reciprocate to compete with the media attention and to solidify his support there. In doing so, it forces McCain to use some of the limited time and resources he has left to defend a state he should have locked up in his column, instead of spending time in more competitive states like Ohio, Missouri and Florida.

Palin Looking Ahead to 2012

Posted: October 30, 2008 in 2008 Elections, John McCain, Sarah Palin
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And the race for 2012 is on!

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.

The Downside of Lower Gas Prices

Posted: October 29, 2008 in 2008 Elections
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Steve Clemons:

This ought to worry everyone. We’ll be under $2.00 in some parts of the country soon — and the price gougers elswhere in the country will slowly float down to these levels as well.

This is unfortunate on a number of fronts as a combination of the massive economic shocks that have hit the country and the precipitous price drop at the gas pump will be negative incentives in moving more expeditiously to alternative energy regimes.

109-Year-Old Daughter of a Slave Votes for Obama

Posted: October 29, 2008 in 2008 Elections, Barack Obama
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This is an amazing story, not just for her longevity but because she lived through nearly every major civil rights milestone for African Americans in modern history. And if Obama wins the presidency next week, she will be one of the few, if not the only, voters with such an immediate generational tie to slavery to have the opportunity to vote for the country’s first African American president.

D’oh!

Posted: October 29, 2008 in 2008 Elections, Barack Obama, Humor
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Serious wrong number…

A flier sent by Michigan Democrats featuring a photo of Barack Obama that urged voters to submit an absentee ballot application includes a telephone number connecting callers to a phone sex line.

Obama Hits McCain for Picking Palin

Posted: October 29, 2008 in 2008 Elections, Barack Obama, John McCain, Sarah Palin
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The Obama campaign takes a direct shot at Sarah Palin in a new ad:

It is rare for a campaign to directly attack their opponent’s running mate, and in fairness, the McCain campaign has been using Biden’s words against Obama. But the fact they chose to explicitly hit him on picking Sarah Palin as his running mate shows just how much of a drag they think she is on the ticket.

Obama Donor$ Get Acce$$ to Advisers

Posted: October 29, 2008 in 2008 Elections, Barack Obama
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This seems like a pretty sweet fundraising racket. I’m not sure how ethical it is or not, but it seems to me like it’s the type of situation which could be exploited and lead to a slippery slope of corruption.

Senate Chairman Shuffle

Posted: October 29, 2008 in 2008 Elections, Beltway Drama, Senate
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Following up on my post yesterday about Joe Lieberman losing his chairmanship of the Homeland Security Committee, The Hill has this story which puts it in the context of a broader reshuffling of the Senate Democratic caucus, caused by the potential loss of at least two members to the executive branch (Obama and Biden), health issues (Byrd and Kennedy), an expanded majority depending on how many seats they pick up next week.

Ted Stevens Scenario

Posted: October 29, 2008 in 2008 Elections, National Security, Senate
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What happens if Stevens is re-elected next week but later resigns or is expelled from the Senate? Former defense analyst Chuck Spinney makes a very interesting point:

“How much do you want to bet the Sarah Palin won’t replace Ted Stevens after being induced to run in a special election by “popular demand”?

Hat tip to James Fallows.

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