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According to the latest campaign finance reports filed Friday, Rep. Ron Paul, the 72-year-old libertarian-like Republican congressman from Texas who ended his hopeless presidential race recently to focus on a long-shot, long-term revolution, still managed to spend $321,983 on his White House campaign in its last month.
Paul, a Republican who refuses to acknowledge Ariz ona Sen. John McCain as the winner of the GOP nomination, ended May with $4.5 million in the bank after all expenses, according to The Times' diligent Dan Morain, who combs through all these political numbers each month.
Paul's fund-raising slowed significantly in May, at least into his presidential account. He reported receipts of only $133,215, a sharp drop from the nearly $20 million he raised in the fourth quarter of 2007 to lead all GOP presidential candidates.
Altogether, Paul has reported net contributions of $34.34 million since early 2007 and campaign expenditures of $29.97 million. He ended the effort with about 1.1 million primary votes, perhaps 24 delegates, no debt and refused to accept federal matching funds for his primary campaign.
If the 10-term congressman holds on to those delegates for the Republican National Convention in St. Paul, Minn., in early November, that works out to about $1.24 million per delegate, more than moneybags Mitt or New York Rudy spent per delegate won in their losing causes.
Click on the Read more line below to see a detailed accounting of Paul's May spending, which includes $236 for a security hotel room, $14,305.74 for an unidentified credit card payment and $60 for a consultant, which means he wasn't employing Mark Penn.
--Andrew Malcolm
Photo credit: Eric Thayer / Getty Images
Read more Ron Paul reports spending $322,000 on deceased campaign in May »
It strikes us that both presidential campaigns this week ignored the cardinal rule of real estate: location, location, location.
 It was a foregone conclusion that Barack Obama would receive an official blessing from Al Gore, the question was when and where. The ringing endorsement Gore bestowed Monday came a bit later than might have been expected, but the real surprise was the setting -- a rally in Detroit, the leading city in the one state where words from perhaps the world's best-known advocate for transforming oil-based economies might be greeted with chagrin.
True, Gore carried Michigan by about 5 percentage points in his 2000 presidential bid. But in that campaign he did not stress the environmental call to arms that since then has become his life's mission.
Although we appreciate the skepticism with which many greet any analysis of Democratic maneuvering by Karl Rove, we do think he got it right on Fox's Hannity & Colmes when he said, "If you're an autoworker or in the auto-parts business or somebody who feels strongly about the auto economy, you don't want to have Al Gore sort of rubbing your nose in it in your own hometown."
Rove mentioned alternative sites for the Gore/Obama love-fest, and two made particular sense to us: Colorado or New Mexico, states expected to be battlegrounds in the general election and places where the environmental movement is revered by some and supported by most.
Similarly, of the possible venues for John McCain to announce his change in position of offshore oil drilling, was Houston the best choice? We don't think so.
McCain's decision to propose an end to the longstanding federal moratorium on oil exploration in coastal waters -- a ban he had long backed -- may play out as a bold stroke that benefits from growing public anger over rising gasoline prices. And, as the Houston Chronicle reported, McCain's audience at a ballroom "in the nation's energy capital gave him two standing ovations as he called for fewer federal regulations on oil exploration."
Maybe his campaign wanted to ensure he received a warm response. But the chosen audience also made it that much easier for critics to argue that McCain, on most issues, was little different than President Bush and that his policies were more oriented toward big business than the average citizen.
An audience of long-haul truckers or residents of exurbs in Ohio or Pennsylvania -- two of the key targets in November -- probably would have been just as welcoming toward McCain's new policy.
-- Don Frederick
Photo credits: Associated Press
Ross Perot, the little guy with the big ears from the big state who helped ensure the 1992 reelection defeat of Pres. George  H. W. Bush, is back.
And the Texan's still got his charts, just like the ones he used to prop up on TV during his expensive vanity presidential campaigns of 1992 and 1996.
Our brother blogger Tom Petruno, over at the informative Money & Co. blog, reports that Perot has just launched a new website because he's worried about government budget deficits and, he says, time is running out.
The 77-year-old Perot (gee, that's even older than Nader or Paul!) calls himself the father of fiscal charts. Tom's got the whole story right here right now.
-- Andrew Malcolm
Photo credit: AP
On this, the first anniversary of our Top of the Ticket blog, we are reminded of the mercurial, unpredictable nature of U.S. politics -- part of what makes what we do so fascinating.
Our goal -- one of us on the East Coast and the other on the far more important or at least less humid West Coast -- was to write about Campaign '08 virtually around the clock.
Our second-ever posting, 12 months ago today, previewed an upcoming L.A. Times/Bloomberg Poll; later in the day, we detailed the results of the nationwide survey. The findings were in line with other polls of the time.
In the Republican presidential race, which then seemed the most likely to last deep into the primary season, Rudy Giuliani was perched in first place. His lead wasn't overwhelming, but it was strong enough that he appeared certain to remain a major contender.
His liberal record on social issues loomed as an obvious liability within his party, but his tough-on-terrorism message was attracting substantial support from moderates and GOP-leaning independents.
His major headache among rivals last June was an as-yet-undeclared candidate who was riding a wave as the great conservative hope -- Fred Thompson. He ran a strong second in the poll.
Lagging far behind were John McCain and Mitt Romney, each barely with double-digit support. In our preview posting, we were especially scornful of McCain, noting sarcastically (and foolishly, as it turned out) that in the poll, he found himself "in heated competition with the 'Don't Know' category."
Meriting no mention from us was Mike Huckabee, one of several back-of-the-pack candidates barely earning any support across the country.
The Democratic race, at that point, seemed so much more cut-and-dried.
Hillary Clinton was the clear front-runner; Barack Obama was just as clearly ...
Read more Top of the Ticket, the start of Year Two »
The long-anticipated close to the Democratic presidential race seemingly has arrived, with only the theatrics of the final act yet to be scripted. Still, a mini-drama well worth watching will be played out in South Dakota tonight.
Barack Obama is expected to win in Montana, but as South Dakotans vote today in the other contest that brings the curtain down on the primary season, the result there are seen as up in the air. And although Obama will be focusing tonight, Wednesday and the rest of this week on officially clinching his party's nomination, he and his brain trust undoubtedly would like to do so with two final wins, rather than a split decision.
 Symbolism is at work; the difference between a final sprint through the finish line, rather than jogging across it.
Taking even a longer view, recall that Obama pulled ahead in his race with Hillary Clinton -- to stay, as it turned out -- thanks to an impressive string of primary and caucus wins in the four weeks after Super Tuesday on Feb. 5. But Clinton rebounded at that point.
On March 4, her wins in the Ohio and Texas primaries enabled her to stave off calls that she end her candidacy. And since then, she's showed impressive strengths -- especially in her landslide wins in West Virginia, Kentucky and Puerto Rico.
Tallying all the contests from March 4 through today -- and counting the Texas primary/caucus "two-step" as distinct results -- finds that Clinton has won 8, Obama 6, and one was a virtual tie; Obama's margin in the Guam caucuses was 7 votes and the two candidates split the 4 delegates at stake.
It's purely academic, but the Obama forces would prefer to look back on this final segment of the nomination battle and see a scorecard that, with victories in Montana and South Dakota, reads 8-8-1.
That is especially so for one senior advisor to Obama -- the former senator from South Dakota, Tom Daschle.
It was bad enough that his constituents ousted him from office, and his perch as the Democratic Senate leader, in 2004. It would be another embarrassment for him if he can't bring his home state into the Obama column. Nor would it help his prospects, which have been discussed, as an Obama running mate.
-- Don Frederick
Photo credit: Getty Images
U.S. Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas) is running for his party's presidential nomination. And so, it seems, are a whole bunch of Pauls and other assorted family members.
They're everywhere in the Paul campaign. And all, by the way, getting paid from the $34.5 million donated by the legions of loyal Paul supporters across the country.
The 72-year-old Paul, a onetime ob-gyn, has packed his campaign staff with what seems like a whole lot of the 4,000 babies he's said to have delivered over the years.
Although Paul, who turns out to be a multimillionaire, has...
Read more Ron Paul campaign packed with (paid) Ron Paul family members »
Rep. Ron Paul is a presidential candidate who supports a return to the gold standard, among many other things. Although he's got no sympathy for Burma's cyclone victims.
Now, we know that Paul puts his personal money where his personal mouth, and public policy, are -- in precious metals.
Paul complied with federal law by filing his personal public financial disclosure statement with the Federal Election Commission by the deadline the other day. The Times' conscientious Dan Morain pored over it.
Turns out, the old doctor (he's even older than Sen. John McCain) is a millionaire, a few times over.
An Air Force veteran and ob-gyn who often champions the cause of the little guy, Paul disclosed 41 separate financial holdings that have a combined value of between $2.29 million and $5.3 million. The disclosure statements require officeholders and candidates to disclose a range of values for their holdings.
The 72-year-old Texas Republican, who leans libertarian, wants to abolish the Federal Reserve and issues warnings about....
Read more Ron Paul, the little guy's champion, turns out to be a millionaire »
President Bush left the White House Thursday. Laura Bush was already in Texas. Virtually everyone in one of the most pervasive political clans in modern American times is gathering in Crawford at this hour for the very private wedding Saturday evening of Henry Hager a nd Jenna Bush (the blond one).
As The Ticket noted not long ago, unless they're hawking a book or something, the Bush twins (each named for one grandmother) have an aversion to the public political life.
The couple haven't even announced their secret honeymoon location. So hundreds of photographers with long lenses and squadrons of rented helicopters have no idea where to hover. We do know the about-to-be newlyweds have purchased a townhouse in Baltimore.
So there will be virtually no news coverage of the outdoor evening wedding (timed to avoid the central Texas heat, even in May).
White House officials hinted there may be a few ...
Read more President Bush to attend daughter Jenna's wedding despite no pizza »
With the Democratic primary struggle between Sens. Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton possibly prolonged by Republicans crossing over to perversely support the New Yorker, conservative talk show host Rush Limbaugh has unfurled a figurative "Mission Accomplished" banner on his radio program.
And although the bombastic broadcaster has absolutely no control over any of it, he has also officially urged two seemingly contradictory things: that Clinton should continue her now nearly hopeless struggle to win the Democratic presidential nomination -- "You've come too far to quit now; don't listen to the voices of surrender" -- and urged Democrats to nominate Obama, the freshman senator from Illinois.
"I now believe he would be the weakest of the Democrat nominees," Limbaugh said. "“He can get effete snobs, he can get wealthy academics, he can get the young, and he can get the black vote. But Democrats do not win with that.”
That's the showbiz point of Limbaugh's initially silly but then seriously serious Operation Chaos, not to pick any particular Democratic candidate but to help them both bloody each other to irreparably hurt the liberal cause for the fall campaign.
Limbaugh says he came upon the disruptive idea when it ...
Read more Rush Limbaugh proclaims 'Mission Accomplished' in Operation Chaos vs. Obama, Clinton »
Rush Limbaugh, the self-appointed Commander-in-Chief of Operation Chaos, is puffing on his immense cigar and gloating at this very moment in his Florida bunker. And preparing to celebrate two more grand and glorious political victories over Democrats today, no matter who wins the primaries in Indiana and Florida.
 Usually as shy and retiring as, say, P.T. Barnum, the influential conservative radio talk-show host is in his bombastic element these past couple of months, ordering many of his 12 million-plus obedient daily listeners to switch their voting registration presumably from the Republican party and go cast a ballot wherever they are for Sen. Hillary Clinton.
Not because he suddenly likes her after all these years of anti-Clinton rants. Nor, judging by what he's said on the air, because he's a huge fan of the presumptive Republican nominee, Sen. John McCain, who isn't conservative enough for the broadcaster.
Rushbo says he couldn't care less who wins the Democratic Party's presidential nomination. He just wants the two surviving candidates to beat up on each other as long as possible, hopefully...
Read more Rush Limbaugh says Clinton-Obama race is proceeding precisely according to his plan »
Fair is fair.
On the heels of Barack Obama's starring role Thursday in the Top Ten segment on the "Late Show with David Letterman," CBS has announced that Hillary Clinton will get the same slot on Monday's show.
Obama had delivered a Top Ten list back in January, but Clinton is a veritable mainstay for Letterman. The CBS release announcing her latest appearance notes that it will be the 11th time she's been a part of the program.
And, actually, perhaps there is a fairness question surrounding the chance Clinton gets for friendly exposure on a broadcast network on the eve of the North Carolina and Indiana primaries.
Got to give her campaign credit, though: It's getting better at this gambit. On the eve of the crucial Ohio and Texas primaries, in early March, her chance to soften her image was confined to cable -- a guest spot on "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart."
-- Don Frederick
The Commander in Chief of Operation Chaos is in his Miami bunker, cigar firmly clenched in his teeth, radioing edicts and orders to his far-flung, obedient troops to wreak havoc on their perceived political opponents in this ongoing primary campaign.
Rush Limbaugh, he of the non Slim-Fast diet, is in his element these days. One of the loudest voices of the vast right-wing cons piracy is doing everything he can to help a Democrat named Hillary. Clinton. You read right.
Trailing Barack Obama in their party's presidential primary race, she's not about to say anything -- or discourage anyone from supporting her, even her old nemesis from the nineties, good old Rush.
It's not that Rush has seen The Liberal Light or anything like that. It's that he's determined that another Clinton would bring much larger Republican voter unity and turnout come fall than the Illinois guy.
And the longer the two surviving Democrats go at each other, the better it is for Republicans, even if the GOP standard-bearer this fall will be the notorious questionable conservative Sen. John McCain.
McCain is not a Limbaugh favorite. And to the extent that....
Read more Rush Limbaugh directs his Operation Chaos against Clinton and Obama »
Thanks to a Hillary Clinton "bio" ad shown endlessly on local television screens, hundreds of thousands of Pennsylvanians now know Scranton less as a town whose best days were in the 19th century and more as the site of her bucolic childhood summer vacations. (We wonder if tourism will increase there this July and August?)
Meanwhile, in Johnstown, Pa., what must be a perennial preoccupation -- how to fill up spare time during the weekend -- was easily answered this Sunday: Attend a Clinton rally!
Across the state in Philadelphia, chances are that many of those among the more than 35,000 people who thronged into downtown Friday night to hear Barack Obama speak -- and then joined in an impromptu parade through city streets -- will be talking about the communal occasion for months to come.
And it's likely to be years before the denizens of such out-of-the-way* burgs as Moon Township, Lock Haven, Clearfield and Connellsville forget what they now have in common: destinations on the itinerary of a certain former president willing to go the extra mile (or two, or 10, or 100) to help his wife win the Pennsylvania primary.
In material terms, it doesn't get much better than to have been a TV ad executive over the last month and a half or so in the Keystone State. Not much call for long hours the rest of the year --- not with Obama reportedly spending more than $9 million to make his case on the airwaves, and Clinton close to $4 million.
Our point is this:
Read more As Pennsylvania yields the spotlight, how badly will it want it back? »
Remember how Hillary Clinton claimed a victory in the Texas primary a few weeks ago? And that public impression, combined with her big win in Ohio, fueled donations and kept the New York senator in the Democratic presidential nomination race? And now she's vowing to fight on right throug h to the convention in late August?
Well, Barack Obama supporters want people to return and reopen the Texas record book, now that the combined results of the primary and last weekend's caucuses show the Illinois senator actually ended up winning the most delegates in Texas -- by an Associated Press count of 99 to 94.
The final tally follows the completion of caucus results in the primary-caucus Texas two-step.
"It appears the Clinton campaign declared victory at half time," said Rep. Chet Edwards, a Texas Democrat who helpfully reminds that "first downs" don't count in the score of a football game.
"I do believe people left Texas prematurely, as far as the media," said Rep. Charlie Gonzales, another Texas Democrat and Obama supporter who joined Edwards for a conversation with reporters this afternoon.
There was a strict norm of politeness being observed during the conference call, as the Obama supporters argued their guy should be the party nominee without explicitly suggesting that Clinton ought to get out of the race.
It was the same line Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota walked yesterday, as she endorsed Obama while studiously avoiding any negative talk of Clinton -- especially anything that looked like a call for her to get out of the game.
Still, Edwards was direct in his Clinton critique. "I think in some ways," he said, "Hillary Clinton would unify Republicans in a way that John McCain cannot."
-- Christi Parsons
Christi Parsons writes for the Swamp of the Chicago Tribune's Washington Bureau.
First they had the primary. Then they had the caucuses. And on Saturday, Texas Democrats will meet in local conventions to cast yet another round of votes for the Democratic presidential contenders, which we guess makes this the Texas Three Step -- with more steps to come.
All of which brings us to Bill Clinton, who called Hillary Clinton's Texas delegates Thursday night to shore them up ahead of Saturday's conventions. Bill Clinton, legendary for his flexible approach to definitions, sought to count Democratic national delegates another way -- delegates won in primary states, versus caucus states. As we saw beginning in Iowa, Barack Obama's focus on grassroots organizing has helped him win caucus states. But in the big primary states -- we'll leave out Illinois and New York, for obvious reasons -- Clinton has prevailed.
Bill Clinton sought to persuade the Texas delegates that means something, according to ABC News' Political Radar blog, which sat in on the call: "Right now, among all the primary states, believe it or not, Hillary's only 16 votes behind in pledged delegates and she's gonna wind up with the lead in the popular vote in the primary states. She's gonna wind up with the lead in the delegates [from primary states]....It's the caucuses that have been killing us."
Never mind the obvious point that caucuses matter, too. The focus on Texas is interesting because things remain unsettled there. Clinton won the primary vote but at the moment Obama appears to have more Texas delegates after winning the caucuses that came that same election night.
None of those delegates, though, are committed, as Political Radar points out. They can change their minds, and candidates. The final results aren't, well, final, until June 7, and the state convention. And depending on how the national delegates -- won in primaries and caucuses -- are lined up then, Texas could prove to be a crucial and last-minute battleground.
Imagine the lobbying then if one or the other candidate is riding a groundswell.
-- Scott Martelle
You won't want to go to bed tonight without knowing this:
Mike Gravel, the former senator from Alaska whose campaign for the Democratic nomination for president in recent months was virtually invisible and free of any impact wha tsoever, has packed up his political bags and taken them to the Libertarian Party.
According to the website Third Party Watch, which as you might expect watches third parties, Shane Cory, executive director of the Libertarian Party, confirmed tonight that Gravel was switching parties and that a formal announcement would be made within hours and immediately ignored by most Americans.
A statement elsewhere on the same website quoted Gravel as saying, "I'm joining the Libertarian Party because it is a party that combines a commitment to freedom and peace that can't be found in the two major parties that control the government and politics of America.
"My libertarian views, as well as my strong stance against the war, the military-industrial complex and American imperialism, seem not to be tolerated by Democratic Party elites who are out of touch with the average American."
Just 11 days ago Gravel announced his endorsement of Green Party candidate Jesse Johnson for president.
The campaigns of John McCain, Hillary Clinton, Ron Paul and Barack Obama were obviously caught by surprise tonight and so stunned by the party-switch announcement that they issued no immediate responses.
The Third Party website also quoted another almost-forgotten politician, former Republican Rep. Bob Barr, who has joined the Libertarian Party virtually without notice as well, as welcoming Gravel and noting, "I too concluded Republicans had lost their core principles, and could no longer associate myself with the GOP."
Meanwhile, Gravel's old Democratic presidential campaign website still seemed to be accepting donations in case you feel like helping out. "My campaign," its homepage says, "has never needed you more than now."
-- Andrew Malcolm
The Republican Party's virtually certain presidential nominee, Sen. John McCain, whose campaign stalled and nearly folded last summer with more outgo than income, experienced more serious financial trouble last month.
According to monthly campaign finance reports filed with the Federal Election Commission and reviewed by The Times' main money man, Dan Morain, McCain took in $11 million in February, which seems like a lot if you're not in presidential politics.
The trouble for Republicans is that the leading Democrat, Sen. Barack Obama, raised fully $55 million and Sen. Hillary Clinton took in $34.6 million. As Morain reports, in the 14 months since the 22-month presidential marathon began, Obama has raised $192.7 million, Clinton $173.8 and McCain a comparatively measly ....
Read more John McCain's money troubles continue through February »
Rep. Ron Paul of Texas and his thousands of fervent supporters may be fighting more over the soul of the Republican Party nowadays than they are for the actual presidential nomination, se eing how the congressman is more than 1,000 delegates shy of what he'd need to head the ticket.
And John McCain has already wrapped up the September nomination so tightly he's not even campaigning and has headed off on an overseas trip this week with congressional colleagues.
This just so happens to provide photos back home of him talking to foreign leaders like a president and praying at the Wailing Wall while Democrats argue over Florida again.
McCain's entourage includes Connecticut's Joe Lieberman, former Democratic vice presidential candidate, former Democratic senator, current independent senator and probably McCain's future secretary of defense. Although that hasn't been officially announced yet because McCain first has to win this little thing called a presidential election.
The 72-year-old Paul has plenty of free political time now because no Democrat, not even in Texas, is dumb enough to take him on in the November House election, which will award Paul his 11th term. On March 4, Paul vanquished his main Republican challenger in the 14th District by capturing 70% of the vote. Other than that, it was close.
Paul says he'll continue to take his conservative message of...
Read more What's this? Ron Paul runs a conservative campaign with no loans? »
With most states having already finished with their primaries or caucuses for the 2008 presidential race, Texas Democrats are the clear front-runner for most poorly run contest of the year.
It's been more than a week now since the Democrats in the Lone State State conducted their much-publicized two-step process -- a primary by day, a caucus by night. And the second part of that dance card remains a muddled mess.
The Associated Press has been keeping tabs on the sluggish vote count and reported Tuesday that results from barely more than 40% of precinct caucuses had been reported to the state.
Barack Obama led Hillary Clinton, 56% to 44%, and if that holds up, the Texas delegation should be pretty much split down the middle (assuming they get this figured out by the time the national convention convenes in late August in Denver). Clinton won the primary narrowly, giving her 65 delegates to Obama's 61.
The basic problem surrounding the caucus operation was that vastly more numbers of participants showed up than officials were prepared for. One would think the stream of stories about record-shattering turnouts in some of the Democratic contests preceding Texas might have led to better preparation, but apparently not.
The AP story has some delicious detail on some of the other obstacles impeding the vote count. For instance, in Hidalgo County, along the border, the tally "has been stymied by the disappearance of county Democratic chairman Juan Maldonado, who changed his cell phone number after losing re-election and wasn't available for several days at his business."
You can peruse the rest of the story here.
-- Don Frederick
Bill Hemmer was talking with former senior presidential advisor and political strategist Karl Rove on Fo x News this afternoon about the amazing current national political scene, especially the evolving or devolving race for the Democratic presidential nomination.
Not long ago, you may recall, Hillary Clinton, who's trailing in both delegates and popular votes, suggested for strategic reasons that she and Barack Obama could be running mates on what some Democrats regard as a "dream ticket" combining the first female and African American candidates. Not surprisingly, Clinton believes she should be on top.
Recently, her husband began touting the idea, too. Friday night campaigning in Casper, Wyo., as reported here in the wee hours of Saturday, Obama told a local TV reporter, "You won't see me as a vice presidential candidate." Today, he repeated that vow.
Then this morning, also as reported here, as this week's leading candidate for the prestigious Chutzpah Award, Howard Wolfson, the senior spokesman for....
Read more Karl Rove's phone call heard 'round the world »
One week ago at about this time of day we posted an item here headlined: "Do Texas Republicans plan a surprise for Clinton and Obama?"
It speculated on the possibility of Republican voters in the Lone Star state, faced with an uninteresting, essentially-decided contest between John McCain and Mike Huckabee, crossing over to make mischief in the Democratic primary by voting for Hillary Clinton to prolong the Democrats' damaging intra-party struggle for several more weeks. We'd heard rumors about this and the Dallas Morning News had written about the possibility.
Then, on his Monday broadcast, conservative talk-show host Rush Limbaugh with his national audience of some 13 million aggressively pushed the idea to his listeners in Texas. Bill O'Reilly, among others, also talked about the possibility on his national radio program, but did not advocate such tactics.
By now, some of you may have heard, that Clinton did pull off....
Read more Now, about that Texas GOP surprise for Hillary Clinton »
Please sit down to read this.
We are very sorry to be the blog that breaks this news to you. But it's our job. Many of you will be saddened, even d evastated, to learn this. Others will say, "What?" or "Who's he?"
But Rep. Ron Paul, whom we've affectionately come to call the Libertarian-like, 10-term, 72-year-old Republican representative from Texas, appears to be -- this is so hard to write -- if not quitting, then almost certainly sort of stopping his race for the Republican nomination for president. Probably.
It's true. No fooling here.
There, it's out. In a special message to supporters late tonight, the congressman, who Tuesday won an overwhelming 70:30 primary victory to continue representing Texas' 14th Congressional District in the House of Representatives, doesn't actually...
Read more Breaking News: Ron Paul gives up the race, but not The Revolution »
Some people think the ongoing struggle between Sens. Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton is about, well, Democratic presidential politics. Silly them!
The campaign is also a titanic battle among unions, as newly filed financial figures revealed today to the expert eyes of The Times' Dan Morain.
The American Federation of State, County & Municipal Employees spent $1 million on ads supporting Clinton in Texas and Ohio recently. The money went through American Leadership Project, a newly formed organization...
Read more As Clinton and Obama struggle, so do the unions behind each »
On Monday, before the Democratic political universe remade itself once again, ABC's "Good Morning America" aired an interview with Barack Obama. Asked about the now-legendary "3 a.m." Hillary Clinton ad, Obama gave the answer he and his campaign quickly had settled on after the spot hit the airwaves late last week -- that voters should focus on a candidate's judgment, not experience.
Asked what prepared him to make the right calls, he had this to say: "I think it's a matter of temperament. ... In difficult or stressful moments I don't get rattled."
Over the next month-and-a-half, as he and Clinton vie for advantage in Pennsylvania, we'll find out how true that is.
-- Don Frederick
Let's give credit where credit is due -- in this case, to the pollsters (many of them, at least).
It's been a rough season for those who get paid to gauge public opinion, epitomized by the raft of miscalls in the New Hampshire Democratic presidential primary.
Then there was the embarrassing Reuters/CSpan/Zogby poll on the eve of Super Tuesday -- the survey reported Barack Obama up by 13 percentage points in California; he ended up losing the day's major prize to Hillary Clinton by about 10 points.
Since then, the polls accurately foretold the string of victories Obama put together, but usually underestimated the margin by which he would triumph.
Perhaps the pollsters have finally readjusted their interview models to take into account the surges in turnout that have marked most of the Democratic contests. Regardless, on Tuesday, in both Ohio and Texas, the closing polls (for the most part) ...
Read more Pollsters share the winner's circle with Hillary Clinton »
Rep. Ron Paul, the 72-year-old libertarian-like, 10-term Texas congressman who's also running for the Republican presidential nomination, easily won his 14th District primary Tuesday and is set for easy re-election in November.
With about half the precincts counted (what's the rush -- it's Texas) Paul was thumping Friendswood City Councilman Chris Peden by two-to-one.
Now, Paul can set his sights on this other old-timer, 71-year-old Sen. John McCain, who claims to have won more than the 1,191 GOP delegates for the Republican presidential nomination this September at the National Convention in St. Paul (no relation to the congressman).
Actually, Paul hasn't really won any Republican primaries in the current political season, though he did take some fourths and fifths and a couple of second place caucus finishes. And he controls somewhere between 12 and 42 delegates, depending on who's counting as if that matters anymore.
But just Paul's powerful presence, eloquence and outspoken defense of the Constitution has forced every other Republican party luminary out of the 2007-08 race, including Rudy Giuliani, who's now reduced to doing bit parts on "Saturday Night Live," Fred Thompson, Mitt Romney, Sam who's-its from Kansas and that grumpy guy from Virginia. Tuesday night, faced with the prospect of a hard-charging Paul on his tail, even former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee gave up, although he directed his concession speech at McCain to save face.
Paul, the only Republican presidential candidate to oppose the Iraq war, is no longer the oldest presidential candidate since the 74-year-old Ralph Nader began his quadrennial quest for 3% of the vote. Paul has declined to endorse McCain, which pretty much dooms the Arizonan's candidacy in the eyes of thousands of Ron Paul Revolutionaries.
Although they have been largely ignored by a media that thought the race involved ...
Read more Ron Paul lives! So does Elizabeth Kucinich's husband! »
While his two potential Democratic opponents continue their expensive primary struggle for weeks more, Sen. John McCain shed the "presumptive" label and claimed the Republican nomination tonight with a promise to his party, independents and "independent-thinking Democrats" to conduct "more than another tired debate of false promises, empty sound-bites or useless arguments from the past that address not a single American's concerns for their family's security."
Immediately beginning to unite the party, whose conservative wing has doubts about him, McCain made the obligatory nod of appreciation to all his departed rivals for their "steadfast dedication to keeping America free, safe, prosperous and proud." And he cited by name Mike Huckabee, who had already withdrawn from the race promising to help in the fall campaign.
But first, in an unusual twist, McCain promised the nation he would make "a respectful, determined and convincing case" that his election, "given the alternatives presented by our friends in the other party, [is] in the best interests of the country we love."
McCain, who spent six years as a POW, was basically written off with a crippled nomination bid last summer before vowing to "out-campaign" everyone. Then, he did. Tonight, taking advantage of a national TV audience, McCain began to set the themes for his general election campaign and draw the contrasts with Democrats. "I will leave it to my opponent," he said, "to argue....
Read more John McCain wins GOP nod, starts campaign without an opponent »
 The nation's tiniest state gave Hillary Clinton her first victory since the Super Tuesday contests on Feb. 5, with each of the cable networks calling Rhode Island for her.
With a large working-class, Catholic population, the state long had been assumed to be favorable turf for her. But Barack Obama made a late run at it, traveling there Saturday for a speech in Providence.
In retrospect, given the apparent closeness of the battle for Texas tonight, he might have been better advised to spend his time there.
Clinton was backed by most of Rhode Island's Democratic establishment. Obama countered with support from the state's most-famed political maverick, Republican-turned-independent Lincoln Chafee, and a Democrat with an especially well-known name, Rep. Patrick Kennedy.
Obama's defeat continues what has become a trend in this campaign season -- being backed by a Kennedy hasn't paid ...
Read more Hillary Clinton finally wins one! »
Will this be another day that adds to the Clinton legend, another chapter in a book teeming with examples that their political apparatus -- whether headed by him or her -- often may be down, but it is never out?
It was just two months ago that Hillary Clinton, seemingly on the ropes following her third-place finish in the Iowa caucuses, added to the family legend by confounding the pollsters and narrowly winning the New Hampshire Democratic presidential primary.
Going into today's spotlighted contests, a late surge has put the polls on her side -- substantially in Ohio, by a small margin in Texas. At this point last week, Barack Obama seemed to have the momentum, especially in Texas, and story after story delineated discontent with the Clinton camp.
If the polls prove right, it will underscore why it's not a smart bet to write off the Clintons. As do these reminders about her husband:
Read more The Clinton comeback chronicles »
John McCain may well cross the finish line tonight, securing the 1,191 delegates needed to claim the Republican presidential nomination. Either way, it remains a matter of if, not when, he officially completes one of the great political comebacks of all time. Still, there was a reminder this weekend that many in his party -- including those he now counts as supporters -- are less-than-inspired by his feat.
The Dallas Morning News was on hand Saturday for the annual Reagan Day dinner put on by the Dallas County GOP and, according to the paper's lead, McCain "wasn't the first choice, or even the second, third or fourth choice, of many of the 500 or so die-hard Republicans" attending the event.
To back up that point, there was a telling quote from Sen. John Cornyn of Texas, one of those scores of big-name Republicans across the country who have endorsed McCain since it became obvious the nomination was his, but have done so without much enthusiasm.
Cornyn, who last year had a nasty shouting match with McCain over immigration legislation, had this to say about the Arizona senator's ascension to presumed presidential nominee: "I sort of liken it to a grieving process. You come to acceptance."
Somehow, we doubt that Cornyn is in line for a prime speaking slot at the GOP national convention in Minnesota in early September.
You can read the rest of the Morning News piece here.
--Don Frederick
In an obvious bid for the Ron Paul media conspiracy vote, Sen. Hillary Clinton's Democratic presidential campaign dumped the traveling press corps exactly where many voters believe they belong today -- in the men's room of the Burger Activity Center.
While the New York senator held a town-hall meeting elsewhere in Austin, Texas, pushing hard for every last vote in tomorrow's crucial state primary/caucus, reporters could watch it on television. Then, the candidate came to the center for a rally nearby in the same building.
The reporters, including The Times' Louise Roug, were set up in the toilet with tables right next to the urinals. Their dinner was delivered there too -- tamales piled in the corner and candies served in paper cups. One reporter cried out, "Metaphor alert!"
But a Clinton spokesman Doug Hattaway said: "These accommodations should in no way be taken as a comment on the quality of our media coverage."
The press crew had started the day about 5 a.m. with the candidate at a windblown factory gate in Toledo, Ohio, before descending into muggy Texas. According to Roug, there were moans among the reporters when only two wall plugs were found. But then came sighs of relief that despite the unsavory circumstances, the bathroom did have Wi-Fi, just like a Starbucks toilet.
--Andrew Malcolm
Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
Perhaps as a sign of some shifting political sands spotted in the last 24 hours from internal polling by the Clinton and Obama campaigns, especially in Texas, an independent political group suddenly decided to pour about $650,000 in new advertising into supporting the New York senator today.
The American Leadership Project, which is primarily funded by the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees union, had appeared stalled in its pro-Clinton effort by the threat of an Obama lawsuit.
But Roger Salazar, who oversees the independent group, confirmed to The Times' Dan Morain this afternoon that the group had....
Read more Shifting weekend polls prompt sudden pro-Clinton Texas ad buy »
Lacking a Caribbean speech on his schedule, Mike Huckabee keeps plugging away. But in his latest efforts to remind voters, and John McCain, that his quixotic quest for the Republican presidential nomination remains ongoing, he may have finally overplayed his hand.
McCain, in a sure sign he's not losing any sleep over Huckabee, took the weekend off. Along with relaxing, he spent part of Sunday at his retreat in Sedona, Ariz., barbecuing ribs and chicken for a gaggle of reporters, some aides, friends and family.
That got Huckabee's goat. At a news conference today (yes, he's still having them), the former Arkansas governor had this to say: "I think his time would have been better spent at a debate and I think the people of Texas should take that into consideration when they vote" in the state's Tuesday primary. "They ought to think about, you know, what would be a better use of his time, being in Texas having a debate on issues that affect Texans or serving barbecue to the media?"
It strikes us that a barb directed at barbecuing may not be the best way to curry favor with many in the Lone Star State.
Huckabee also indicated today that ...
Read more John McCain's 'grilling' sparks a Mike Huckabee response »
It's a theme she's been driving home for days now, a variant on the "experience" argument she's flogged with mixed success.
Sen. Hillary Clinton was up very early this morning -- before dawn, in fact -- to shake hands at a factory gate in economically-troubled Toledo before heading off for Texas, as some last-minute polls sensed a whiff of a shift in her direction for tomorrow's voting in both places.
But before leaving, to insert herself into the day's news coverage, she held a quick media availability at the Hilton and provided this unusually concise capsule comment for reporters, including The Times' Louise Roug:
"I think that I have a lifetime of experience that I will bring to the White House. Sen. John McCain has a lifetime of experience that he'd bring to the White House. And Sen. Obama has a speech he gave in 2002."
-- Andrew Malcolm
Reams of words have been written and even more spoken about the importance of the Ohio and Texas primaries for Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. But the New York Times' Bob Herbert, in his Saturday column, boiled the matter down to its essence:
"When does a dandy fight become an ugly brawl?
"For the Democrats, perhaps on Tuesday."
You can read the rest of his piece here. And a review of the latest polls in Ohio, where it's tight, and Texas, where it appears even tighter, can be found here and here.
— Don Frederick
Remember how Hillary Clinton and her acolytes had been trying so hard to forget all those wins Barack Obama has strung together?
Clinton chose to publicly ignore some of Obama's more impressive victories. Her aides — as well as her husband, the former president — dismissed his caucus triumphs, arguing that only a narrow slice of the electorate has the time and the inclination to participate in these gatherings.
Well, Camp Clinton late last week decided to take note that Obama put together an 11-contest winning streak and "is riding a surge of momentum." But it acknowledged his successes with this in mind: trying to raise the stakes for him (however vainly) in Tuesday's primaries in Texas, Ohio, Vermont and Rhode Island.
A memo put out by the Clinton press crew noted that Obama's torrid performance has enabled him "to pour unprecedented resources" into those states. It went on: "The Obama campaign and its allies are outspending us two-to-one in paid media and have sent more staff into the March 4 states."
Here was the kicker: ...
Read more Hillary Clinton's camp changes its tune »
Did Bill Richardson move ever so slightly toward Barack Obama's corner today?
For a split second, during his appearance on the CBS talk show "Face the Nation," it sounded like he did. But then he added a clause that muddied the waters (as he so often did as a candidate himself for the Democratic presidential nomination, when he struggled in the early debates by often giving answers that were hard to decipher).
Richardson, during his chat this morning with newsman Bob Schieffer, characterized Tuesday's face-offs in Ohio and Texas between Obama and Hillary Clinton as "D-Day."
Expressing concern, like an increasing number of leading Democrats of late, that an extended Obama-Clinton battle could start tearing the party apart, he added: "We have to have a positive campaign after Tuesday. Whoever has the most delegates after Tuesday, a clear lead, should be, in my judgment, the nominee."
Clinton may well win in both Ohio and Texas but, based on the way delegates are allotted, her margins may not be large enough to overtake Obama in the overall delegate count. So was Richardson, who remains uncommitted in the race, saying she still should drop out?
The catch, of course, was his caveat about one of the candidates claiming "a clear lead." That will be in the eye of the beholder (and subject to all manner of spinning by the two campaigns).
Here is the latest...
Read more Bill Richardson lays out an endgame »
Actually, we heard rumors about this a few days ago. But now the Dallas Morning News has found some.
 They are tricky Texas Republicans. They have a choice in Tuesday's presidential primary election between Sen. John McCain of Arizona, who seems to have pretty much wrapped up his party's nomination with about a 700-delegate lead over former Gov. Mike Huckabee of Arkansas.
So if there's no real point in confirming McCain or throwing it away on Huckabee, is there anything else to do besides stay home? Yup. Go vote in the Democratic primary.
It's no big deal paperwise to switch over for a year or two. And this way -- wait for it -- these Republicans could vote for Sen. Hillary Clinton. Yes, that one.
Now, why would Republicans cast a ballot for a woman they've loved to hate for oh so long? The point would be to give her ...
Read more Do Texas Republicans plan a surprise for Clinton and Obama? »
Hoping to replicate her strong showing last month in California with a much-needed win this Tuesday in another big state with somewhat similar demographics -- Texas -- Hillary Clinton is getting some help from some California friends, including Antonio Villaraigosa.
The peripatetic Los Angeles mayor was one of the warmup acts for Clinton at her Friday night rally in San Antonio (where, not too far away, Barack Obama had been campaigning earlier). Also firing up the crowd before Clinton spoke was Rep. Hilda Solis of El Monte.
Clinton is hoping that, just as in the California primary, a wave of Latino support will sweep her to a win in Texas, and Villaraigosa and Solis are doing their part to make that happen. Indeed, The Times Michael Finnegan, traveling with the Clinton team, learned that after accompanying the presidential contender to stops Saturday in the Dallas/Fort Worth metropolitan, Villaraigosa will work the same area by himself on Sunday.
His Honor already has put in a fair number of hours for Clinton. As we noted ...
Read more Californians hit the road for Hillary Clinton »
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ona Sen. John McCain as the winner of the GOP nomination, ended May with $4.5 million in the bank after all expenses, according to The Times' diligent Dan Morain, who combs through all these political numbers each month. 
