Posts Tagged ‘election’

06.5
08

Clinton’s Road to Second Place

by admin ·

Let me preface this by saying I do not intend this to be a slam against Hillary Clinton, but it is hard to get to the heart of what’s wrong with Mark Penn without talking a little bit about Sen. Clinton’s approach to the campaign. I believe Hillary Clinton is a consummate politician, but that Penn reinforced her worst instincts. I’m attacking him because I believe he is a poisonous force, and must be ejected from Democratic politics.

The Wall Street Journal did a fine piece on what went wrong with Hillary Clinton’s campaign. The short answer? Two words: Mark Penn.
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06.5
08

Vice Presidential Profiles (Dark Horse Edition): Chris Dodd

by admin ·

I’m reposting this from a post at TPMCafe. I’ve received a few requests to do a profile of Chris Dodd, but I believe nyg2008 has done an excellent job, and other than breaking down a few demographic categories (which I don’t feel is necessary), I don’t think there’s much more I could add. You can view the rest of our vice presidential profiles here.
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05.22
08

Vice Presidential Profile: Tim Kaine (Gov-VA)

by admin ·

This is the fourth entry in our week-long series profiling the most likely vice presidential candidates. We’ve previously looked at Sen. Jim Webb, Gov. Ted Strickland, and Gov. Kathleen Sebelius.

Today we look at Tim Kaine, Governor of Virginia, another likely candidate for Obama’s short list. Gov. Kaine was one of the first Democrats outside of Illinois to endorse Barack Obama during the earliest days of his candidacy. Kaine was first elected governor in 2005, by a very narrow margin, and his term is set to expire in 2010. Kaine prospects beyond then are dim; Virginia law prevents Kaine from serving consecutive terms, and Sen. Jim Webb’s seat cannot be challenged until 2012, as for Virginia’s other Senate seat, it seems quite likely that Democrat Mark Warner will take over Republican Sen. John Warner’s seat this November. These factors likely make Kaine very open to the possibility of a vice presidential nomination. An immediate problem with selecting Kaine is that it would put Virginia’s Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling, a Republican, in the governor’s mansion, providing him with a leg-up in the 2009 gubernatorial race.
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05.19
08

Vice Presidential Profiles: Jim Webb (Sen-VA)

by admin ·

Raylan Givens gives us our first vice presidential profile today. He takes a look at Jim Webb and finds some weaknesses. I’d also add that Jim Webb running as vice president would needlessly cost us a Senate seat that we might not be able to win again. Of equal importance is the fact that Jim Webb’s current approval rating in Virginia is only 47 percent, far less than Republican senator John Warner who polls at 62 percent. Webb also fails to gain majority approval from virtually every demographic, except for women (51%), 50-64 year olds (51%), and African Americans (57%). Despite his fantastic resume, and popularity among bloggers, it is not immediately apparent that Sen. Webb would help Obama expand his base.Webb_2
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02.26
08

Chris Dodd Endorses Obama, Urges Party Unity

by admin ·

The blogosphere’s favorite son, Sen. Chris Dodd, endorsed Barack Obama today. His endorsement reflected the feeling that as March 4 approaches (and Obama continues to rise in the polls), this race is drawing to a close:

“It is now the hour to come together,” he told reporters in Cleveland. “I believe the hour has come now for us to make that choice – to stand up and say we’re going to get behind this candidacy.”
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