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These are the polls that count in the primary season --- the ones that eschew a national sampling, focusing instead on voter preferences in the key early voting states of Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina. American Research Group has released fresh surveys from these battlegrounds and here's the overview:
*** For Republicans, the results underscore the increasingly competitive and unpredictable nature of the race for the GOP's presidential nod.
*** For Democrats, the findings in one state will gladden the Hillary Rodham Clinton camp, while figures from the other two will sadden it. For Barack Obama, exactly the reverse is true.
Now, the specifics. ....
Read more Fresh Iowa, N.H. & S.C. poll results »
Rudy Giuliani at least gets credit for not trying to paper over the obvious.
As previewed in an earlier item here, he unveiled today his plan for grappling with the nation's health care problems. The proposal is centered around creating a tax deduction of up to $15,000 for families to buy their own health insurance from private companies, rather than relying on benefits provided by employers. The idea is very similar to one President Bush has pushed --- to absolutely no avail in Congress.
As for the uninsured, Giuliani is taking a laissez-faire approach to getting them coverage. Newday's Craig Gordon was with the former New York mayor on the campaign trail, and he writes that Giuliani agreed the uninsured "would find relief in his plan only after the free-market forces pushed the cost of private health insurance down far enough for the uninsured to afford it --- a process he acknowledged could take years."
Giuliani also echoed his past criticism of the various health care ideas promoted by Democratic presidential candidates, dismissing them as "socialized" medicine (a favorite GOP attack line that some party stalwarts used in the 1960s to oppose Medicare).
Giuliani is the first of the major Republican presidential contenders to offer anything close to a detailed blueprint on the health care issue. Although the others may present plans that envision a more direct federal role in efforts to reduce the ranks of the uninsured, it is highly doubtful any will be as ambitious as proposals pushed by the Democrats. By the time the general election campaign commences, the question of how aggressively the government should address this subject almost assuredly will loom as a major divide between the two parties.
-- Don Frederick
Joseph Biden has a busy schedule over the next few days as he promotes his just-published autobiography -- and in the process tries to energize his presidential campaign.
Biden got strong reviews for his performance in last week's CNN/YouTube debate, and he boasts especially impressive foreign policy credentials. But in virtually every expert prediction of how the Democratic race might play out, he remains an afterthought.
The main buzz around him has been that he would be a prime contender for secretary of State in a Democratic administration. The New York Observer wrote up such speculation in June; the New York Times followed with a similar piece on Sunday.
Biden began the media blitz that ostensibly plugs his new book, "Promises to Keep," with an appearance this morning on the "Today Show." Tonight he'll drop by the "Late Show with David Letterman." And over the next couple of days he's scheduled to pop up on talk shows on CBS, Fox News, CNN, MSNBC and National Public Radio.
The senator from Delaware, however, isn't alone these days in hawking a book aimed at political junkies. In all-important Iowa, the executive director of the state Republican Party decided to try his hand at fiction. The result: "Stand and Deliver," a novel focused on the Iowa caucuses (well, it's often been said that all the great themes in literature have been taken).
Chuck Laudner recently told a political blogger for the Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier that his book depicted "a little bit of what goes on behind the scenes and the decision-making process and the mistakes that are made” as a gaggle of make-believe GOP presidential contenders campaign in the state.
The author may have limited his audience a bit; according to the state party's website, all proceeds from the novel's sale -- the cost is $25 -- will go to help Republicans "take back control of the Iowa Legislature."
Somehow, we don't think Laudner will be trailing Biden on the talk-show circuit.
-- Don Frederick
Rudy Giuliani expands the policy debate on the Republican side of the presidential race today, becoming the first major GOP contender to offer a detailed plan to address an issue that polls consistently show ranks high among voter concerns: healthcare.
As Newsday's Craig Gordon reported while on the trail with the former New York mayor Monday, the contours of Giuliani's proposal have been apparent, but the particulars will be provided as the candidate continues stumping in New Hampshire.
To varying degrees, the major Democratic candidates have been ahead of the Republican pack in offering specific ways they would attack healthcare problems, especially the complex challenges of controlling costs and providing insurance for the almost 45 million Americans who lack it.
In line with the parties' differing philosophies, the Democrats envision a more aggressive role for the federal government in pursuing these goals. Giuliani, in making the preliminary case Monday for his prescription, asserted that the way to repair the healthcare system "is by relying on American principles, not Cuban and European principles, like the Democrats want to do."
That, of course, overstates the distinctions while linking the Democrats to left-wing filmmaker Michael Moore, whose new documentary "Sicko" touts the quality and availability of medical services in Cuba. Giuliani's rhetoric notwithstanding, no Democrat is promoting "socialized" medicine as practiced by Fidel Castro's government.
A less partisan, more carefully calibrated overview of the basic differences between the Democratic and Republican approaches to the healthcare issue can be found in this recent column by The Times' Ron Brownstein.
Among the other top Republicans, John McCain has pledged to outline his healthcare plan later this summer. Fred Thompson, obviously, won't be detailing his thoughts on the subject until he finally officially enters the contest. Meanwhile, the most interesting waiting game on this front involves Mitt Romney.
Just last year, as his tenure as governor of Massachusetts neared an end, Romney significantly burnished his political credentials by presiding over passage of a sweeping, innovative law requiring all state residents to obtain health insurance. Those who can afford coverage and don't get it face penalties on their state income taxes. Those who need financial help to pay for insurance get it from the state, with the size of the subsidy determined by whether they are below or just above the federal poverty level.
The law did not require a tax increase and Romney sang its praises in a 2006 commentary piece in the Wall Street Journal that was headlined, "Health Care for Everyone? We've found a way." As a presidential candidate intent on wooing the GOP's conservative base, however, he has been reluctant to extol the legislation or offer it as the approach he would adopt as president.
-- Don Frederick
Former Sen. Bob Dole of Kansas, who knows a little something about losing presidential campaigns, having been thumped by Bill Clinton 11 years ago (has it been that long already?), is feeling sorry and puzzled for Sen. John McCain, whose one-time front-running candidacy for the '08 GOP nomination has spiraled downward in recent weeks.
And Dole has some sharp words for former House speaker Newt Gingrich.
Dole was on Bloomberg TV's "Political Capital with Al Hunt" over the weekend, ostensibly to talk about co-authoring the report on improving healthcare for wounded veterans. But Hunt also asked the senator who would be the strongest Republican candidate next year?
"You know," Dole replied, "my heart has always been with my good friend John McCain. But it's just not happening. The buzz is gone. I mean, he's a great guy and thought he--he sticks to his guns. Whether it's campaign finance reform, which has cost him some people, and whether it's immigration, where I think he was on the right track....Or whether it's his support for the war. They are all very principled, but I don't know how he puts it all back together."
Hunt then asked Dole who would benefit from the McCain fade?
Read more Bob Dole on John McCain--and the Newt »
The continuing effort by many Democrats to more publicly discuss their religious faith and how it infuses their politics is highlighted by a new e-mail exchange between Christian Broadcast Network reporter David Brody and Barack Obama. The communication includes the presidential candidate discussing his recent comment that, "Faith got hijacked, partly because of the so-called leaders of the Christian Right, all too eager to exploit what divides us."
Brody, in e-mail questions he submitted to Obama's campaign a few weeks back, noted that some evangelicals were "taken aback" by the remark and asked Obama to expand on it. Obama, in answers Brody posted on his website Sunday, replied that his goal was to "contrast the heated partisan rhetoric of a distinct minority of Christian leaders with the vast majority of Evangelical Christians --- conservatives included --- who believe that hate has no place in our politics."
Obama also elaborates, to a degree that had been rare within Democratic circles, on what he describes as "the role that values and culture play in addressing" social problems.
For instance, after reiterating his support for "keeping guns out of the inner cities" --- and the need to fight the firearms' lobby on this issue --- he goes on to say that, "I also believe that when a gang-banger shoots indiscriminately into a crowd because he feels somebody disrespected him, we've got a moral problem. There's a hole in that young man's heart --- a hole that the government alone cannot fix."
Today, Brody offered his reflections on Obama's responses, as well as ...
Read more Obama, Clinton and religion »
Former president Bill Clinton returned, in triumph, today to the "national conversation" of the Democratic Leadership Council, the centrist party group that played such a key role in his two White House wins.
The DLC has fallen into disrepair recently as the party and its presidential candidates moved to the left, abandoning the center of the political spectrum that allowed Clinton to build such successful political coalitions in the 1990s. In fact, none of the current Democratic candidates including Clinton's wife, Hillary, could find time to appear at the DLC's two-day national meeting in Nashville.
According to The Times' Robin Abcarian, who covered the sessions, Clinton was described as "our beloved President Clinton," treated to rousing ovations and mobbed after his remarks. "The good thing about being a former president," said the former president, "is you can say anything you want. The bad thing is no one has to listen."
Looking sunburned from a recent six-day African trip, Clinton wore a brown suit with a...
Read more DLC ignored by all but its beloved Bill »
In communities throughout America, pancake breakfasts are a friendly, low-key way for service organizations and other groups to raise a little bit of cash and for neighbors to pass a convivial weekend morning. But here comes the modern presidential campaign ready to bend such events to its fundraising imperative.
As Newsday reports today, Hillary Rodham Clinton (with husband, Bill, in tow) will be in the Hamptons this weekend with more than just summer fun on their minds. Clinton aims to raise as much as $1 million for her presidential campaign during a series of appearances that include a pancake breakfast Saturday at the home of Democratic philanthropists Alan and Susan Patricof.
Cost of a plate of grilled batter: $1,000 (no word on whether bacon is extra). Want a keepsake to remind you of the meal for years to come? Pose for a photo with the Clintons -- for $10,000.
Let's hope the photographer knows what he's doing.
-- Don Frederick
As we previewed in an item last week, the best-known national group of Democratic centrists wraps up its annual convention today scorned by every one of the party's presidential contenders. But at least one of those candidates -- John Edwards -- had a good reason for skipping the gathering in Nashville.
It's his 30th wedding anniversary, and he and his wife, Elizabeth Edwards, are at home in North Carolina. Presumably, their day includes a trip to a local Wendy's, a tradition that stems from what obviously was a particularly memorable order of fast-food fare on their first anniversary.
The ritual received a fair amount of attention after John F. Kerry picked Edwards as his running mate for the 2004 Democratic presidential ticket. At that time, Edwards explained to Katie Couric on the "Today Show" that on that first anniversary, "we were in the middle of moving. We were grungy and awful. And so instead of trying to go someplace fancy ... we just went to Wendy's."
Not surprisingly, Edwards still gets asked about the "celebration" (some may doubt whether that noun truly applies in this case). "Now that you're successful, do you get the double burger?" Jay Leno asked recently when Edwards appeared on "The Tonight Show."
The candidate responded by poking fun at another personal peculiarity that was much in the news earlier this year. "Well see," he said, "you can't spend money on food when you're spending money on haircuts."
The absence of Edwards, Hillary Rodham Clinton, Barack Obama and other White House aspirants from the Democratic Leadership Council's convention spawned quite a bit of comment over the weekend, including this piece by the Politico's David Paul Kuhn and this commentary in the New York Times. Providing some solace for the DLC, Bill Clinton will be there as today's featured speaker.
-- Don Frederick
It's been a rough few weeks for the world's Pygmies.
First, during the recent Festival of Pan-African Music in the Republic of Congo, host officials housed a group of diminutive Pygmy musicians in the cages at the Brazzaville zoo, while other performing delegates got air-conditioned hotel rooms. Officials explained it was not discrimination; they just thought the group of 20 jungle natives would feel more at home amid the trees and animals.
But worse than that for the world's Pygmy people, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich recently called the nine-man field of fellow Republicans running for president a "bunch" of "pygmies." Can you imagine the insult if Pygmies ever heard about it?
Gingrich said it last week at one of those regular Washington breakfasts where hurried journalists looking for a free meal and some quotes gather with someone who desperately wants to be quoted. It's a symbiotic relationship, like those blackbirds that pick insects off the backs of rhinos.
Gingrich, a leading critic of President Clinton as an adulterer at a time when Gingrich himself was one, is always ready with a quote, sometimes intelligent, usually sharp-tongued, always self-promoting. Recently, he's been trying to stay in the news because on some days he hints he might join the field of Pygmies seeking to lead a nation of non-Pygmies and on other days it's beneath him. On humid summer days in Washington with Congress about to go on vacation, such vacillations can pass for news.
Always thorough, we did a little research into the aptness of the former speaker's remarks and...
Read more So easy even a politician can do it »
Kansas Sen. Sam Brownback has his work cut out for him in Iowa. Despite Midwestern roots and solid conservative credentials, he is hovering around 1% in the most recent state poll, right up there with fellow Republicans Tom Tancredo, Duncan Hunter and Ron Paul. Mitt Romney leads with 25%, 11 points ahead of undeclared Fred Thompson and 12 points ahead of Rudy Giuliani.
If he doesn't do well -- that is, finish in the top two or three -- in the Ames party straw poll Aug. 11, Brownback may be forced out of the field by the political and financial realities of the race.
So Lonnie Berger is rolling out the big guns in what he calls "spiritual warfare." He's appointed himself prayer coordinator of praying friends of Sam Brownback and he's mobilizing the thoughts and prayers for his man.
Working from his website, Berger warns believers, "When Christians vote, our values move forward in the culture war when Christians stay home, the enemy wins." Berger also sends out regular e-mail reminders with specific things for Brownback supporters to pray for:
"that God would supernaturally activate the Christians in Iowa to pray and go to the straw poll to vote for Sam."
"for God to break the spiritual strongholds over Iowa that would keep Sam from being brought more into the national spotlight."
"that God would use this poll to weed out those candidates that would push our country away from the Lord."
"that God would bring Sam to the top and that his campaign would get huge national coverage in the media."
Whether a single blog item and a mention in USA Today constitutes huge national coverage, Berger is not deterred. The Brownback campaign says it has no connection to the prayer group, which is not seeking to raise funds. A website disclaimer says, "These prayers are sent out as a personal courtesy for Senator Brownback and his family and have no association with any ministry or tax exempt organization."
On the other hand, what harm could come from such efforts? The campaign has not gained much traction the regular political way.
--Andrew Malcolm
Hmmm, it's probably just a coincidence, one of those flukey chance things that just seems to happen and then bored journalists on a slow summer day make way too much of it.
But New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, the current billionaire and former Democrat who became a Republican and then last spring declared himself an independent with no interest in running for president, is buying up all kinds of website names. Websites with names like mike2008.com. Or mbloomberg.com. Or michaelbloomberg.com.
At the same time, Bloomberg has stepped up his travels around the country. He told "Good Morning America" this week it's "just an accident" that his speeches take him to "big states" like Missouri, where he addressed the National Urban League along with several presidential candidates.
"I've got a job and it's a great job, and I'm going to finish this job," said the mayor, whose term runs through 2009, adding...
Read more Mayor Mike denies it again »
We may have the answer as to why Hillary Clinton appeared content Friday to let the dust settle in her flap with Barack Obama over how a president should go about dickering with rogue nations: She and her aides were ready to start another fight, this one with Washington Post fashion writer Robin Givhan.
In a piece a week ago that gained some attention, Givhan noted -- and reflected upon -- an outfit Clinton had worn on the Senate floor a couple of days earlier that displayed a slight amount of cleavage. As we said, the commentary attracted some attention. Now, due to umbrage taken by the Clinton camp, it's getting A LOT of attention.
In a fundraising e-mail sent out to supporters, Clinton senior advisor Ann Lewis expresses shock and outrage that the Post "would write a 746-word article" on the presidential candidate's wardrobe choice. Lewis (whose commentary and solicitation exceeds 300 words) goes on: "I've seen some off-topic press coverage--but talking about body parts? That is grossly inappropriate."
In making her pitch for cash, Lewis calls on her message's recipients to, "Take a stand against this kind of coarseness and pettiness in American culture."
The target of Lewis' scolding is no slouch. Givhan won the 2006 Pulitzer Prize for criticism. In explaining their choice, the award's judges lauded "her witty, closely observed essays that transform fashion criticism into cultural criticism."
We must confess, we didn't read Givhan's dissertation on Clinton's clothes when it was published; we glanced at it (it ran on front of the paper's Style section), took note of the headline and moved on. Now, of course, we have read it. Definitely provocative. And, though we couldn't be less of an expert in this area, it does seem Givhan goes off on a bit of a tangent.
But "grossly inappropriate"? We think Lewis doth protest too much. Subtlety and nuance, however, are not a fundraiser's tools.
We also have to wonder whether the Clinton crew might be trying to have it both ways.
On the one hand, Lewis is seeking out the high ground (or would that be high gown?) in denouncing Givhan. On the other, we imagine that--like us--a lot of folks who hadn't focused on Givhan's piece now have. And that can't help but drive home Clinton's undeniable moves to soften her persona.
-- Don Frederick
Yes, yes, elections are all about divisions, splitting the primary or general election electorate into little pieces like a jigsaw puzzle and then meticulously reassembling us through promises, platforms and personalities into a new coalition that theoretically adds up to more votes than the opponent.
In the primaries, candidates of each like-minded party are usually trying to split hairs to concoct distinctions among themselves. O.K., that doesn't include Ron Paul and Mike Gravel. But occasionally it's useful for a candidate to lob a grenade over at another party's candidate just to help emphasize his own stance using the media.
Such was the case this week with Democrat John Edwards, who is successfully trying to stake out a populist position among the major candidates so far to the left that he is unflankable way out there. That gives him more to live down during the drive to the center if he makes it to the general election.
But first come the primaries. Recently, he did his poverty tour, as described by The Times' Richard Fausset. All the major Democratic candidates agree on letting the Bush tax cuts expire during the next presidential term, meaning taxes will increase. But now Edwards....
Read more Romney lobs a grenade at Edwards »
A Los Angeles-based web site ostensibly raising money for Sen. Barack Obama’s campaign apparently has raised a little attention from the campaign itself, which is asking Californians for Obama to stop their activities.
The project, according to its website, was launched before Obama declared his candidacy, and its purpose was to build grassroots support to persuade him to run. After Obama declared, the project kept  going – yet it hasn’t spent money on getting Obama the nomination, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. But it has spent money on the guy in charge, Emmett Cash III (now there’s a name that works). The group has scheduled a “Women of Power” cruise for September, though the Chron reports performer Eartha Kitt, whose name appears at the top of the list of on-board celebrities and politicos, has no intention of going.
Cash told the Chron that the group’s board of directors will meet to decide how to respond to the Obama campaign’s demand.
--Scott Martelle
While YouTube, CNN and the Democratic presidential contenders bask in the (relative) afterglow of Monday’s Democratic debate, there are rumblings that Rudy Giuliani might skip the Republican version scheduled for Sept. 17.
And that, of course, would give other candidates an excuse not to sit for questions by shirtless men, Kermit the Frog and a blue duck. Mitt Romney has already mocked the merger of digital video, the internet and presidential debates: "I think the presidency ought to be held at a higher level than having to answer questions from a snowman."
Josh Levy has the full rundown and links over at TechPresident, and points out that the Washington Post reports only John McCain and Ron Paul have committed. Which has left some tech-savvy Republicans baffled: Are the top-tier Republican contenders ready to cede the Internet fight – and the 18-to-34 year olds who watched on Monday in (relatively) high numbers – to the Democrats?
As Patrick Ruffini, a former ecampaign director for the Republican National Committee, blogs elsewhere at TechPresident: "The Democrats are afraid to answer questions from Big Bad Fox News Anchors, and the Republicans are afraid to answer questions from regular people. Which is worse? It's stuff like this that will set the GOP back an election cycle or more on the Internet. No matter the snazzy Web features and YouTube videos they may put up, if they're fundamentally uncomfortable with the idea of interacting with real people online, what's the point?"
--Scott Martelle
The first votes of the 2008 presidential campaign are still months away. But that doesn't stop thousands of people from voting with their checkbooks.
 And while, outside of Chicago anyway, you can only cast your actual ballot once, campaign donors can write checks to several candidates, even to some with competing agendas. The prevailing political wisdom is that Democrats are happier with their choice of candidates this time than are Republicans. And it seems from the numbers and interviews, at least this time, that perception is right on the money, so to speak.
A recent poll showed that while Hillary Clinton maintains her commanding lead over Barack Obama in the Democratic race, nearly a quarter of Republicans chose None of the Above as their candidate, being unwilling to pick anyone from the top tier.
It's not just that Democrats have collectively raised far more money than Republicans during the first six months of 2007--$144.3 million to the GOP's $101.7 million.
But an analysis of the new numbers by The Times' Mark Barabak with help from Doug Smith finds that Democrats were much more likely than Republicans to give to more than one of their party's White House hopefuls.
Judy Olmer was typical of those serial donors. "This year I feel pretty good about the choices I have," said Olmer, a retired government employee in Cabin John, Md. She gave a combined $2,850 to Gov. Bill Richardson, Obama and former Sen. John Edwards. "There are three, four....
Read more So many candidates, so much money »
In the kabuki-style of political theatrics that now dominate Washington, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates has sent a conciliatory letter to Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton in an attempt to defuse what he calls "an important discussion" that "went astray."
Clinton has been making much on the stump recently of a previous Defense Department letter which she says impugned her patriotism and declined to disclose Bush administration plans for drawing down troops in Iraq because it could help the enemy. Undersecretary Eric Edelman called Clinton's inquiry "premature" and said it "reinforces enemy propaganda that the United States will abandon its allies in Iraq, much as we are perceived to have done in Vietnam, Lebanon and Somalia."
Gates said he fully supports congressional oversight "as a fundamental element of our system of government" and he would work with Clinton and the Senate Armed Services Committee to "establish a process to keep you apprised of the conceptual thinking, factors, considerations, questions and objectives associated with drawdown planning."
He also assured her that drawdown planning was actively underway. But he said it has been the department's long-standing policy over many administrations and decades that operational military plans including contingency plans not be shared with Congress or other executive departments.
"We all recognize," he added, "that there are multiple audiences for what we say, and need to be careful not to undermine the morale of our troops or encourage our enemies."
For her part....
Read more Dear Senator Clinton, »
Like a couple million other Americans Howard Mortman watched the unusual Democratic debate this week using video questions filed on YouTube. It got him thinking, which is always dangerous and usually very funny.
Now he's come up with his own list of unusual debate sponsors and some of the questions each would spawn in their own presidential interrogations.
The eBay Debate: How much would you pay for this portrait of dogs playing poker?
The Netflix Debate: Do you always watch the bonus feature? Would you ever use your DVD as a coaster?
The Drudge Report Debate: Hurricanes: Friends or foes? Will melting glaciers save this two-headed mouse?
The Expedia Debate: Window or aisle? Preferred seatmate--fat guy or screaming baby?
The Monster.com Debate: Do you work well with others? How's your cleavage?
The Amazon.com Debate: What's the last book you've read? What book would you be reading if you're at 1% in the polls? Why do you think people who purchased your autobiography are also buying Dr. Seuss?
He has more.
--Andrew Malcolm
The comity that has long prevailed in the Democratic presidential race may be officially over. At the least, it's on hiatus.
After three days of feuding with Hillary Rodham Clinton over diplomacy with hostile nations, Barack Obama prolonged the spat today with new shots at his main competitor. Look for a full story on the dispute on this website late tonight and in Friday's print editions.
The Times' Michael Finnegan listened in on an Obama conference call set up ostensibly to trumpet an endorsement by Rep. Paul Hodes of New Hampshire, one of the Democrats swept into office in the November midterm election largely because of public discontent with the Iraq war. But jabs at Clinton dominated the discussion, as Obama compared her stated refusal to meet with leaders of adversarial nations without precondition to President Bush's policy of shunning foreign leaders at odds with the U.S. ...
Read more The Clinton-Obama spat, Day 4 »
Fred Thompson may be taking his own sweet time before he ambles into the Republican presidential race, but the vetting of his record and character is proceeding full-speed ahead.
After The Times' Janet Hook earlier this month took a broad look at Thompson's willingness to chart his own path during his time in the Senate, the Washington Post today spotlights how his legal career "has given Thompson an affinity with one of the Republican Party's perennial targets, trial lawyers."
Within the last few days, two lengthy magazine articles have appeared that raise personality questions about the Tennessean, with a particular focus on whether he has the drive necessary to persevere in a White House run.
The cover story in the New Republic wonders whether Thompson is "enough of a go-getter" and "really enough of a man for this fight." Meanwhile, a profile in New York magazine asserts that he could be hampered by two key liabilities: "his work ethic and authenticity."
Thompson's commitment to the task at hand apparently has long been in doubt. As it became clear back in the spring that Thompson was seriously interested in pursuing the presidency, the caption under his picture in an old high school yearbook was widely reported: "The lazier a man is, the more he plans for tomorrow."
We sympathize with Thompson on this last front. Who among us, after all, wants to have his or her teen years revisited?
-- Don Frederick
Some folks apparently have too much time on their hands over at Republican Mitt Romney's presidential campaign office.
The Politico's Jonathan Martin, who tracks the GOP White House contenders, noted earlier this week that the Romney team had been keeping tabs of all the releases issued by the Democratic National Committee since the '08 race began in earnest. At first blush, that would seem quite the onerous task. But, as it turned out, the aides couldn't have been more thrilled with what they found.
Here's the scoop: Romney easily leads the pack as the prime target of DNC attacks. The candidate's staff even provided charts!
Lest you think the DNC was asleep at the switch, it responded with yet another swipe at Romney. In this case, the group let none other than Carly Simon do the talking (actually, singing -- you can check a performance of her signature tune here).
-- Don Frederick
This is another in a continuing series of interviews with Times correspondents about life on the campaign trail these days and how they go about doing their work. A previous interview with The Times' Scott Martelle is available here.
 If you have any questions you'd like asked, leave them in the Comments section below and we'll get to them in future interviews.
Today we talk with Richard Fausset, The Times' 37-year-old Atlanta bureau chief, who recently spent three days on the road with Democratic presidential hopeful John Edwards to produce this story and this collection of Edwards remarks.
Q: You've covered the L.A. mayoral race. How do you know what to look for when covering a national campaign?
A: Well, this was Edwards' poverty tour from New Orleans through the Mississippi Delta into Arkansas and Memphis, up to Cleveland and into Appalachia. But we didn't want to do a poverty policy story so much as a piece that gave a feel for Edwards on the campaign trail. What's he like? How do people relate to him?
Q: And what did you find?
A: The first day in the meetings he was more like a lawyer taking depositions, asking a lot of questions about their situations. The people looked like they were being interrogated. But as the trip wore on, he really warmed up and began to weave into his speeches the stories of the people he'd met. He's really a good speaker, able to read a crowd and its emotional timbre and adjust his remarks accordingly. I heard essentially the same speech three times, but each time he made it seem fresh and relevant to the people at hand.
He's very professional and controlled, though. There were no little gaffes or moments of unexpected openness.
Q: Did he mingle with the crowds a lot?
A: You know, he says he likes that, but I didn't see the delight. He didn't do that much. A few handshakes and smiles here and there, and then we were off to the next stop. It was a crammed schedule. Elizabeth Edwards seems to like that more.
Q: What was she like?
Read more On the Trail -- Inside a Times story -- II »
The Nation's Capital is used to being unloved.
Built on the northern edge of a humid subtropical climate zone, it featured large swaths of mosquito-infested land when Congress opened for business in the city in 1800. It was hardly a prime destination spot; in his classic 1968 book, "The Washington Community, 1800-1828," historian James Sterling Young found in the writings of early lawmakers acid descriptions of the environment. Many were loath to come to the town and could not wait to return home; for some, the horrid living conditions were reason enough to retire from public office.
Property values weren't helped when, during the War of 1812, British soldiers burned and gutted several buildings, including the White House, in retaliation for the American sacking of Toronto. After that little tiff was over, for decades the British diplomats assigned to Washington received hardship pay because of the prevalence of malaria.
For decades, of course, politicians of every stripe have dined out by campaigning against "the mess in Washington." And the city has earned itself several none-too-complimentary labels.
John F. Kennedy, in particular, liked to characterize it as having "the charm of the North and the efficiency of the South." In recognition of its long-struggling --- and ultimately defunct --- baseball team, the Senators, a once-popular phrase went: "Washington, first in war, first in peace, and last in the American League. (With the city's new team, the tag still applies by simply substituting National League for American League.)
And then there's this description of Washington, which has gained currency of late: "Hollywood for ugly people."
Ouch. But at least on this front, there can be some debate. Just check out the latest installment of one of the most eagerly awaited annual features in D.C. journalism, the list of Capitol Hill's 50 Most Beautiful People, as compiled by the keen-eyed observers at The Hill newspaper.
We can't quibble with a single choice. We do note, though, that a quite a few come from California.
-- Don Frederick
Sen. Dianne Feinstein's endorsement today of Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's presidential bid naturally raised the question of whether California's other Democratic senator, Barbara Boxer, is prepared to declare her allegiance to one of her party's White House contenders.
As The Times' Scott Martelle noted in his story on Feinstein's move, Boxer is opting to remain neutral. What makes that somewhat surprising is that Boxer has familial links to Clinton --- the California senator's daughter, Nicole Boxer, once was married to the New York senator's brother, Tony Rodham. Their one child, Zachary Boxer Rodham, is, of course, the grandson of Barbara Boxer and the nephew of Hillary Clinton.
This was the second time this week that we were reminded of Clinton's brothers (she's the oldest of three, followed by Hugh and Tony). The first reminder was provided by a New Republic piece that takes a trip down the memory lane of all the headaches her siblings often have caused Clinton, especially when she was first lady.
The article quotes a former official from Bill Clinton's administration as saying, "You never wanted to hear their name come up in any context other than playing golf."
Hillary Clinton, of course, is not the first public figure to be embarrassed by the antics of siblings. Husband Bill, Richard Nixon, Jimmy Carter and even George W. Bush have brothers who've made negative news over the years. But as the current campaign progresses, it'll be worth watching if Hillary's brothers crop up in even more embarrassing contexts, as has been their penchant.
-- Don Frederick
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In the wake of the legislative wreckage of this year's attempt to rewrite immigration policy, at least one prominent Democrat is warning that any similar effort will have to wait --- until well into the next decade.
The Washington Times reports today that Rep. Rahm Emanuel of Illinois recently told a Latino activist from his state that Democrats in Washington would not grapple with the controversial immigration issue until the second term of a prospective Democratic president. That would push it into 2013, at the earliest.
The Washington Times says Emanuel confirms making the comment. And his judgment certainly deserves serious consideration. A former White House aide to President Clinton, he's a cold-eyed political realist who in 2006 oversaw the national campaign that achieved what the Democrats had failed to accomplish in several previous tries --- regain the majority in the House.
Emanuel's prediction speaks volumes about the tricky politics that surrounds immigration and the lack of anything close to a consensus on how to deal with it. It also makes one wonder about the prospects for resolving other complex and politically difficult matters, such as the rising cost of healthcare and the funding of Social Security.
-- Don Frederick
During his 1996 presidential campaign, Republican Bob Dole famously traveled about with an index-sized card in his pocket containing the words of the 10th amendment --- the part of the Bill of Rights that reserves to the states all powers not specifically delegated to the federal government.
As Rudy Giuliani pursues his bid for the GOP presidential nomination, he's is doing Dole one better, toting historical inspiration too weighty to fit into a pocket.
In a recent interview with Times columnist Ronald Brownstein, Giuliani revealed that he keeps with him a copy of The Federalist Papers, the 85 essays written anonymously by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison and John Jay during the debate over ratification of the Constitution roughly 220 years ago.
“I carry the Federalist Papers with me all the time,” Giuliani said. “I have a marked-up copy of it and whenever I get into difficulties trying to figure out my answer to something I usually read it, because I think [the Founding Fathers] have more wisdom than maybe sometimes we have in our very, very quick sound-bite society. Maybe we don’t give as much thought to these things.”
The subject came up as Giuliani explained in new detail his basic solution for resolving many of the country’s most divisive domestic issues --- shift authority on these matters from Washington to the states. (Brownstein explores Giuliani’s thinking on this front in his column today.)
Intriguingly, historians might quibble with the link the former New York mayor seems to make between his reading material and his policy position. In general, the authors of the Federalist Papers were arguing for a relatively more powerful federal government against those who preferred to leave power concentrated in the states.
-- Don Frederick
Writing a political blog for one of America’s leading newspapers is a tremendous responsibility, requiring many hours of tedious, careful research about the campaigns of the men and woman who would lead this country for the next four years. We take our work extremely seriously.
Policy issues. Polls. Political strategies and tactics. Interest groups. Debates by MyTube or YourFace or whatever it’s called. Always trying to get behind the scenes of this historical democratic struggle for the White House for the benefit of readers who come here to learn what makes American politics tick.
Which is why as soon as we learned of the latest endorsement of Rudy Giuliani, we immediately jumped on this story with our typical thoroughness.
According to a news release from the Giuliani campaign, the former New York City mayor has just been endorsed by Bo Derek. THE Bo Derek. Members of a certain generation may possibly recall a movie called “10.” No married man will ever admit having seen the film or even having an opinion about it, but we’re told it allegedly starred Dudley Moore.
Inexplicably, in the film Moore becomes fascinated by some young, apparently rather attractive woman played by Derek. The film also must concern classical music because, we hear, the song “Bolero” is featured prominently in one horizontal scene.
Derek is a longtime Republican who campaigned in both presidential campaigns of both Bushes....
Read more Is that who we think it is? »
Just a quick note: You will not want to miss Tomas Alex Tizon's profile of Ron Paul and Mike Gravel, the two presidential candidates--one a Republican, the other a Democrat--lodged at the bottom of the political polls and still making trouble for all the other mainstream candidates seeking to win the White House.
The Column One story is available now by clicking here and will appear on Page One of Wednesday's print editions.
Two old men in rubber shoes waging a political war to lead the free world with little money and just a band of fanatical fans. One has chronic back pain, the other a bad knee. Cantankerous. Ignored. And nothing so far has stopped either from their lonely, little-noticed journeys back and forth across the country.
--Andrew Malcolm
As much as the CNN/YouTube debate broke new ground in stagecraft, one aspect of it paralleled previous encounters --- the higher-profile candidates continued to dominate airtime.
Chris Dodd and his aides began complaining in the spring that he and the other lower-tier presidential contenders were ignored by questioners in the first Democratic debate. For the second one --- in early June in New Hampshire --- his staff unveiled a "talk clock," which tracked to the second the speaking time for each of the eight candidates.
Barack Obama came in first (with 16 minutes, exactly, according to the Dodd count). The others to break into double digits were Hillary Rodham Clinton (14:26), John Edwards (11:42) and Bill Richardson (10:48).
Dodd finished sixth in the time ranking (with 8:28, running about half a minute behind Dennis Kucinich), and even before the forum ended his camp was crying foul. It issued a news release complaining that the race's front-runners were being allowed to hog the spotlight.
Dodd's aides started their stopwatches again Monday night, and the order for the candidates claiming the top four speaking-time slots was exactly the same: Obama, Clinton, Edwards, Richardson. Dodd, though, muscled into fifth place, running close to Richardson and increasing his time from the earlier debate by 11 seconds.
He also, as the Hartford Courant's David Lightman focused on, got the night's first question.
For many loyal Democrats, any time that Mike Gravel --- the party's resident scold --- has gotten before the cameras probably seems too long. But Gravel has not only run last both times in the Dodd clock watch, his chances to sound off decreased significantly: from 5:37 in the June face-off to 4:10 in the latest debate.
-- Don Frederick
The Associated Press is reporting that former senator and pretend prosecutor Fred Thompson has just shaken up the staff of his presumptive race for the GOP presidential nomination.
He's not even in the race yet, but he's changing the people around him who are running the unofficial campaign.
Tom Collamore, the former vice president of food and tobacco giant Altria, is out as acting campaign manager and in is an old Washington face, Spencer Abraham, another former senator and energy secretary. Florida GOP strategist Randy Enright will also be advising at the top.
Next thing you know there'll be rumors about Thompson dropping out of the race he has yet to enter.
--Andrew Malcolm
The CNN/YouTube debate unquestionably added an invigorating new element to the rules of engagement in U.S. politics.
After Monday night's precedent-setting format -- and especially in light of some of the exchanges it sparked -- it's hard to imagine future faceoffs will feature a traditionally staid panel of journalists running the show. And the candidates who do best presumably will be the ones who not only display a command of policy, but provide appropriately human responses to questions that are more emotionally charged when they come via homemade videos.
All that said, we imagine that in the backrooms of the GOP presidential campaigns today, aides are hard at it carefully analyzing what the Democrats experienced. Their aim will be to figure out ways to best prep their bosses to anticipate what's coming and how best to respond when the Republican CNN/YouTune debate takes place Sept. 17.
We got a preview of how this might work when the Republicans gathered June 5 on the same stage the Democrats had occupied two days earlier in New Hampshire. ...
Read more A GOP edge in the YouTube debates »
The Democratic presidential candidates and their entourages weren't the only ones in demand after Monday night's CNN/YouTube debate in Charlestown, S.C., wrapped up and journalists were clamoring for interviews.
Making her way through the spin room and passing along pearls of wisdom was Amber Lee Ettinger, aka "Obama Girl." The Chicago Tribune's Christi Parsons captures the moment for posterity in this blog item.
For those needing a refresher course in Ettinger's impact on the Body Politic, here's the link to "I've Got a Crush on Obama." And, of course, we must include its smash follow-up, "Debate '08: Obama Girl vs. Giuliani Girl."
Ettinger, as you may have heard, is riding a celebrity wave. She'll be featured in the October issue of Playboy ... in a bikini.
-- Don Frederick
A minor setback for those Americans patiently awaiting Al Gore's inevitable announcement of his candidacy for president.
According to a published report in the Boston Herald, one of his daughters, Kristin, recently said, "He's really not going to get in the race." C'mon, who's going to believe a daughter over newspaper speculation?
Then comes a Washington Times commentary by Donna Brazile, who managed Gore's 2000 campaign. She says, "Common sense should tell us he is not gearing up for another presidential run." What does she know? She lost in 2000.
And anyway, whoever heard of common sense in a presidential race that features 17 candidates so far, including Mike Gravel and Ron Paul? You know, Al himself has not totally ruled it out. He's told Larry King he's fallen out of love with politics. But love is a fickle thing. He's said he has no intention of running. Aha, but he hasn't said absolutely not.
After learning how much he's making for 75-minute speeches on the environment, we can understand why Gore is delaying his announcement. He's making a fortune from talking about hot air.
And there was that recent flap about Gore the environmentalist eating endangered Chilean sea bass...
Read more Donna, say it isn't so »
It's hard to argue with CNN commentator Jeffrey Toobin's instant an | |
