Ticket Takings: A Sunday full of Richardson, Webb, Daschle, Fiorina and Richardson
O.K., it's the first day of summer. There's still something like 134 days until The Election. No tornadoes in sight. The annual hurricane controversies have yet to form wherever they start. Lots of lakes and sunshine outdoors. And blizzards of blabber on TV.
Hope the traffic wasn't too bad getting home. Here's a reverse birthday gift from The Ticket: What you didn't miss today:
SO MUCH FOR SUMMER IN MONTANA: Tom Brokaw will pause in writing his next book on our grandfathers and take over moderating "Meet the Press" through the election. Not Tim Russert, of course,
but wise and he won't talk about the Bills who are hopeless until poor Jim Kelly returns. (See video below.)
If NBC is not going the blonde-in-short-skirt route like over at Fox and since Bob Schieffer is under contract elsewhere, our top permanent nominee is Chuck Todd, (not pictured here) who clearly knows everything about politics and says it succinctly. Seriously.
WHY NOT JUST ARM EVERYBODY ON AIRPLANES? Our blogging colleague James Oliphant over at the Swamp has joined the periodic chorus wondering about Virginia Sen. James Webb as the running mate for Barack Obama.
Webb, you'll remember, is the guy who packs personal heat everywhere, which does tend to diminish disagreements on the street. Obama does need a military mate because he's talked so much about opposing war and the simple peacemaking power of sitdowns with dictators. Also, he seems unlikely to pick Geraldine Ferraro.
Being a turncoat Republican and former Reaganite will surely....
...make Webb particularly attractive to the DailyKos crowd. Or maybe with his impressive almost presidential new Grand Seal, Obama doesn't need them anymore.
TASTES GREAT. NO, IT'S LESS FILLING: Our good buddy Damien LaVera over at the Democratic National Committee obviously didn't hit the beach today. He's out with another "tip" about a media story to help spread dissension among Republicans and undermine John McCain's case.
SPEAKING OF POSSIBLE VP'S: The Saudis have said they're gonna increase oil production, which is supposed to help the world price. But if you think about it, at these prices it will also help the charitable Saudis, won't it?
Anyway, because it's a major international economic story, the partially-bearded Wolf Blitzer at CNN naturally turns for answers to the governor of Minnesota, Tim Pawlenty. Hey, it made sense in the weekend planning meeting.
Pawlenty goes way out on a limb and tells the world "it's relatively good news." News Alert! Next question, of course: The VP thing. No, Tim-bo says, he hasn't talked about it with McCain. (Or presumably with Rep. Ron Paul either.)
Pawlenty says he talks with McCain only about family and sports. So maybe he would make a good irrelevant VP pick after all. How about those D-backs and Twins?
JAMES CARVILLE MUST HAVE BEEN BUSY: Also on CNN, Wolfie interviewed convicted Obama supporter Robert Reich for his unbiased views on the Saudi oil decision. True to his political media training, Reich took only three sentences to get around to Obama's energy platform, which he said stresses wind and solar energy. Those'll be interesting-looking cars.
AND NOW FOR THE OTHER SIDE: To keep it fair, Blitzer's Late Edition also interviewed another unbiased observer, New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, who took only seven words to blame the Bush administration for the good news about Saudi oil production increases (See, they should have done it much earlier).
SAY WHAT? Over on Fox News Sunday, they only got an ex-senator on. And Democrat Tom Daschle made an amazing point to Chris Wallace. If the military surge is really doing so well, Daschle says, then as Sen. Obama points out with his immediate troop withdrawal plan, why do we need the U.S. troops there?
Think about that a minute.
THIS GUY GETS AROUND: Over at CBS' "Face the Nation" Gov. Richardson (wait a minute, how'd he get on two Sunday TV shows without a carbon-emitting automobile?) suggests that McCain would be like a third Bush term. Which accidentally reveals that Richardson has never seen the body language in private between those two eternal rivals.
Then, McCain surrogate Carly Fiorina talks about the off-shore drilling situation and Obama now bashing tax breaks for the big oil companies.
"Well, first of all," she says, "John McCain believes it is the state's decision. Secondly, the 2005 energy bill which gave oil companies lots of breaks -- Barack Obama voted for it. John McCain voted against it.”
Oh, ouch!
So, as you can see, your day outdoors caused you to miss lots of significant Sunday political news. Glad The Ticket could catch you up so quickly.
Bonus points: This isn't political yet, but our blogging colleague Tony Pierce is trying to start another fight over on the new Comments blog. Maybe you heard about Saturday's horrific drag racing crash in New Jersey? Pierce has the video and asks how to make the sport safer?
As ex-Sen. Daschle might suggest: That's simple. Go slower.
--Andrew Malcolm
Photo credit: WireImage
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Posted by Andrew Malcolm on June 22, 2008 in California , Campaigning , Candidate spouses , Conservative Groups , Democratic Politics , Faith and Politics , Foreign Policy , Media , President Bush , Presidential Campaign , Republican Politics , Ron Paul , Speeches , Sunday Talk Shows , Television , Vice President | Permalink
Don Frederick has served as an editor helping guide coverage of every presidential election since 1984. He is a third-generation Washingtonian, so watching the political world comes naturally to him.
Andrew Malcolm's immigrant parents repeatedly stressed the importance of active participation in a democracy. Early lessons included learning the alphabetical list of states by watching televised roll calls of national political conventions. That childhood exposure led to a lifelong fascination with politics, including 40-plus years of covering them and a brief stint practicing them as press secretary to Laura Bush in 1999-2000.
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Ok, I'll nibble, why the picture of Scarlett Johansann when nothing in the article mentions Scarlett Johansann?
(Just another of life's mysteries, it seems.)
Posted by: Alessandro Machi | June 22, 2008 at 04:30 PM
I don't get it...what does this have to do with Scarlett Johansson????
Posted by: nanao | June 22, 2008 at 05:28 PM
James Rainey and Scott Martelle wrote in The Nation today about Michelle Obama's attire while appearing on The View. Yes, the dress was nice, even reasonably priced--but to suggest that women vote for a candidate because they like the way his/her spouse dresses is both ludicrous and demeaning. My husband liked the nice blue suit Senator Obama wore on a television appearance, but that is not what influenced him to want to vote for him. Like ME, his wife and a woman--he has read a great deal about the senator, has studied his options and has made an INFORMED decision. What the senator or his wife wear has nothing to do with our voting preferences. Yes, we may actually be at the beginning of the end of racism, but with articles like these continuing to be printed, we will not come close to seeing the end of sexism and stupidity in our media or our country.
This article was an insult to the Obamas as well as the fine and fair writing we have come to admire in the LA Times.
Oh, and yes, my husband agrees with me and, in fact, encouraged me to write this on behalf of both of us!
Posted by: Mary Keeley | June 22, 2008 at 08:15 PM
The polls go up and the polls go down.
The only poll that will really matter is the one on election day.
But I guess the media and the Democ"rat"ic elites will have to pull out all the stops to beat McCain.
But "The Gods" are on McCain's side. So be warned you "Elites" they who mess with "The Gods" end up like all the rest who opposed "The Gods".
VJ Machiavelli http://www.vjmachiavelli.blogspot.com ps Is Obama the Neville Chamberlain of our time ?
Posted by: VJ Machiavelli | June 22, 2008 at 08:27 PM
Frank Fiorina, husband of top McCain Advisor Carly Fiorina, still will not provide his occupation on his $28,500 campaign donation to the NATIONAL REPUBLICAN SENATORIAL COMMITTEE as required by law
www.webofdeception.com
Posted by: Robert Lewis | June 23, 2008 at 06:28 AM
Well, if you watched MTP Sunday, you can not help but note that McCain got a totallly free ride on his
flip flopping. That is liberal??
Am happy Tom Brokow is going to host this program until after the elections. He has integrity, is not prone to
sensationalizing and tends to stick to facts.
I am in hope he will conduct a completely unbiased
program and not insult the intelligence of the Anerican votets.
Posted by: katiec | June 23, 2008 at 07:44 AM
You've got a beautiful picture of Scarlet ... but not a word about her.... Brilliant and Beautiful ... she just brightens up the day doesn't she ... Oh do I have HOPE that YES WE CAN!!
Regarding Jim Webb ... my favorite Senator (my state being Virginia) and top VP pick ...
If you knew anything about Webb and his Senate run, which I'm proud to have been an activist in ... you would know that he pioneered being on Daily Kos for instant blogging (like chat rooms). It really made a huge difference for him in the election. Webb's themes (that he ran on) are largely Obama's themes and the Internet propels these candidates because they are not afraid to go on the air and argue for their views.
Both men are AUTHENTIC!! We need thoughtful leadership and either of these guys will deliver on that hope!!
OBAMA - WEBB 2008!!
Posted by: TMski | June 23, 2008 at 06:48 PM