Look out Democrats...

On the front page of today's New York Times there was a huge article about Senator McCain's campaign and how they have downplayed the fact that McCain's youngest son, Jimmy McCain, is a Lance Corporal who enlisted at just 17 into the Marine Corps. I recommend that everyone read the article because it is really interesting to see this side of McCain - the concerned father of a soldier. It certainly made an impact on me since McCain is currently the only candidate advocating that we stay in Iraq to attempt to finish what we started; his opinions and feelings on the subject are not only rooted from his own experiences in Vietnam, but also because he was able to visit his son in Iraq and see for himself the strides that were being made. Granted, he visited in a period of relative calm, but speaking to the soldiers firsthand has made him firm in his belief that we need to stay overseas much longer than his opponents are predicting.

The Times notes that both the McCain family and campaign did not want this article to run. Indeed, the campaign has not wanted to exploit Jimmy McCain, the McCains' strongest tie to the war, and so has purposefully attempted to keep his service somewhat of a non-issue. I find this to be highly admirable, and while it irks me that the Times ran the article against McCain's wishes, I also am now shaking in my Democratic boots. I've tended to disregard the sentiment that McCain had any chance of winning the Presidency, simple because the Democrats have such strong candidates this election. Furthermore, the entire American populace has become jaded with Republicans running our nation. On the other hand, this article juxtaposes the catfights that are occurring in the Democratic camps with the calm and confidence that is now circling the Republican nomination and I have to admit, with all of the controversy and immaturity that is expected to erupt during the DNC, I can now see McCain emerging as the top candidate.

http://www.nytimes.com/pages/todayspaper/index.html

Enough is enough...

With all the current discourse that is taking place regarding whether or not Hillary Clinton should drop out of the race for the Democratic nomination, I cannot help but notice that the Democrats are acting more and more like their mascot – the proverbial “donkey” (I don’t really feel comfortable using the term I’m thinking of on the blog, but I trust that you can figure out what I mean). It really irks me that, once again, my political party is fighting amongst itself and, in my mind, weakening its chances at unity in the national election.

Over break I had a discussion with my aunt in which she was absolutely certain that no matter what, Senator McCain would secure the presidency. According to her, the fact that Obama and Clinton supporters were so polarized against each other meant that McCain would easily steal Democratic votes from the losing candidate’s campaign. After reading an article released by the Associated Press yesterday, I am now actually coming around to my aunt’s position.

Women have remained steadfast, passionate and strong supporters of Clinton, and many have voiced their outrage that so many of her male colleagues are now asking her to step aside for the “greater good” of the Democratic party. They feel that Clinton is being asked to bow down due to her gender and, like many women have before her, being asked to sacrifice her goals for the seemingly greater goals of a man. While I agree with their point to an extent, I see the negative implications of these sentiments for the party as whole: if Obama loses the highly valuable women’s vote, where will the Democrats be come November?

Furthermore, with every new Obama surrogate that comes forward calling for Clinton to leave the race, the more the Democrats appear to be a party that is unable to be unified, and therefore unable to yield a candidate that is capable of leading our nation. As of right now, I wish that certain people in the political sphere would just stop talking and allow the race to play out as it was meant to. Stop the mudslinging and let the remaining electoral votes and the DNC figure out who is the right candidate.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23869576/

Straight Talk Express now serving Europe

John McCain is finding that certain luxuries come along with securing your party's nomination early on; one of them is that McCain can afford to spend time traveling abroad while the Democrats continue to battle each other stateside. As explained in a Time magazine article about McCain's recent visit to Britain, his trips have allowed him to "burnish his foreign affairs credentials." (This aim was thwarted when McCain committed a gaffe by mixing up extremist factions in Iraq, an error of as-yet-uncertain impact.) Technically, the trip was made in McCain's capacity as a senator, but photos with heads of state certainly don't hurt his standing as a candidate.

Both Clinton and Obama often tout their ability to repair America's reputation abroad after eight years of foreign policy blunders by the Bush administration. As a Republican, McCain shares many positions with Bush; most notably, he has been a chief advocate of the unpopular war in Iraq. Because of these factors, McCain has generally not been viewed as a particularly potent antidote for improving America's image internationally. The article linked above characterizes the British public as enthralled by the Democratic candidates in the race and largely disinterested in the Republican side.

However, certain groups abroad might be receptive to a President McCain. His reputation for being moderate and straightforward has earned him respect while his military background grants him credibility in matters of war. A recent editorial in the Times of London credits McCain with offering a solid assessment of the situation in Iraq and urges Prime Minister Gordon Brown to heed his advice. (True, the Times is owned by Rupert Murdoch, a well-known conservative, but his editorial control is supposedly minimal.) The Times has a significant voice in London, the capital city of one of our most critical allies, so it's worth noting that this editorial quite forcefully backs McCain on Iraq. The Republican nominee also held a high-profile fundraiser in London. 

These articles have me speculating about how McCain would be perceived abroad as Commander in Chief. As a successor to Bush, he would present nowhere near as stark a contrast as either of the Democrats, but his administration would surely be different in major ways. A New York Times article outlines ways that McCain tried to highlight those differences during his travels. What would a McCain presidency mean to our foreign friends...and to less friendly foreigners?

Define your enemy....

As you recover from the exam, here is an interesting note about how labor unions plan to pre-emptively attack Sen. McCain in the general election. The original story is from the Wall Street Journal and the summary is from Taegan Goddard's Political Wire

"The AFL-CIO, the nation’s largest labor union organization, will announce plans Wednesday for a $53 million effort to elect a Democrat to the White House," according to the Wall Street Journal.

"The AFL-CIO will rely on one of the oldest strategies in the political playbook: Define your opponent before your opponent defines himself. The labor organization will launch its 'McCain Revealed' campaign to paint McCain as anti-worker and to tie him to the economic policies of President Bush."

Is Hagee Bad for GOP Business?

While I like John McCain, I know that as a Catholic there is no way I, nor anyone in my family, would vote for a candidate who allowed himself to be affiliated with anyone as antagonistic and – sorry if there are any fans reading this – crazy as John Hagee. I agree with USC professor Reverend James Heft’s position in a recent MSNBC article that stated that McCain should distance himself from Hagee. McCain has already noted that it would be foolish to assume he holds the same views as endorser, but there is no uncertainty in my mind that the Obama camp will have a field day if he does not take a stronger position on the issue. Since Obama has already very publicly announced he will not be accepting the bigoted Louis Farrakhan’s endorsement, it definitely puts the pressure on McCain.

On a more realistic note, however, the Evangelical and Fundamental Christian vote is what greatly helped Bush beat Gore in 2004, and this endorsement will most definitely help the support-desperate efforts of the McCain campaign. In another article, it was speculated that the GOP would have the “living you-know-what” scared out of them if Obama were to win the Democratic nomination and his campaign were to reach the national arena. Indeed, Obama’s fundraising efforts will most definitely reach a fever pitch if put to the test, so in many ways, Hagee’s approval is exactly what McCain needs in order to put up a fight against the Obama movement.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23449606/page/2/

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23448170/

Romney Suspends His Campaign

It appears that McCain has locked in his status as a front-runner. Romney dropped out of the race today at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington, being that if he continued, he would "forestall the launch of a national campaign and be making it easier for Sen. Clinton or Obama to win," he said to the crowd. He was very well spoken as he continued on, stating that "if this were only about me, I'd go on. But it's never been only about me. I entered this race because I love America, and because I love America, in this time of war I feel I have to now stand aside for our party and for our country."

It seems that he understands the division of the Republican party at its current state, with many unhappy claiming that McCain is not a true conservative, and is trying to get the GOP together to beat Obama or Clinton in November. While the crowd still cheered Romney on claiming that there were issues on which they still disagree with McCain, the Republican Party has set itself up with plenty of time to 'heal' and come together before then, all the while focusing on McCain's strengths to get his party to go the voting booths in November to vote for him. It will be interesting to see how long it takes and if the Republican Party unites behind McCain.

*All quotes from CNN.com with CNN's Robert Yoon contributing to the report.

Super!

The word of this coming week, hands down, is Super. Super, as in super stakes, super drama, and Super Tuesday, when millions of Americans will cast their vote for their party's presidential nominee, not to mention the Super Bowl taking place tomorrow afternoon in Arizona. With CNN devoting 40 consecutive hours to the voting and results, and ABC giving up a similarly impressive 5 hours of broadcast TV time to the event, it's clear that the media expects a big night.

Super Tuesday has super high stakes because of the sheer number of votes that will be cast and the wide-range of states that will be involved. As John McCain has pointed out several times recently, it's as close to a national primary as we've ever had. Will the race end on Tuesday or just intensify as a result? That's the question many are posing. Statistically, the AP reports that the numbers will not, and cannot, add up to the crowning of an official nominee for either party after Tuesday's voting, but as ABC News writes, the Republican race may be all but wrapped up, with John McCain ahead in most states and gaining momentum elsewhere. As for the Democrats, it appears as if both Clinton and Obama will do very well in different parts of the nation, meaning that the race for the nomination will remain tight.

As the drama and anticipation of a primary election night like none other builds, it's important to point out the possibility that these last minute endorsements Obama is racking up may play an important role. Beyond the support he's receiving from the Kennedys, in recent days in California, newspapers such as the Los Angeles Times, La Opinion, the Oakland Tribune, the San Francisco Chronicle, the San Jose Mercury, the Sacramento Bee, the Modesto Bee, the Santa Cruz Sentinel, and the San Francisco Bay Guardian have all written pieces endorsing Obama. The first two mentioned, the Los Angeles Times and La Opinion, are two of the biggest papers in California and have influence well beyond the state. The LA Times hasn't endorsed a candidate since 1972, mostly because of California's typical back-seat role in presidential elections, but the wording in their write-up of the Senator is glowing, as they "strongly endorse" Senator Obama. La Opinion, the largest Spanish-language newspaper in the US and the second most read paper in LA (behind the LA Times), also showed strong support for Obama. The significance of this endorsement may be even larger for the Senator, given his weak support among Latinos heading into voting in several states where Latinos make up a large percentage of the population. The paper praised his stance on immigration over Senator Clinton's, given his support for driver's licenses for the undocumented and her opposition to the proposal. They like that Obama is leading on immigration reform, rather than simply holding a position.

Both papers point out the inspirational appeal of Obama that they feel is necessary for the US at this point in time. As the LA Times says, with candidates so similar in their core positions, the ability to be a transcendent leader in this troublesome time is crucial. It should also be noted that both of these papers showed support for Senator John McCain for the Republican nomination, though their support for McCain is less enthusiastic in both cases.

With several million people voting on Tuesday in California alone, it's going to be quite a significant moment in this election. Previous primary election days this year will pale in comparison to the vastness of this moment. Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina, and Florida will have been reduced in their significance to either sparking, or extinguishing, candidates' momentum heading into this week. And if you think you've seen a lot of Wolf Blitzer and CNN's so-called "best political team on television" by now, wait until you've sat through 40 "super" hours of Super Tuesday coverage. It's going to be quite a week.

Much Ado About Nothing?

It's an exciting time to follow politics, for sure. But it's also a confusing one. As the primary period approaches the crucial "Super Tuesday" voting and millions of Americans prepare to simultaneously cast their votes for their party's general election candidate, there's one large, glaring, yet strangely familiar figure that must be dealt with first: Florida.

For Republicans, the stakes are clear: win Florida, and you, most likely, become the "front runner" for your party's nomination. With McCain and Romney, the best performers thus far in the race, virtually tied in current polls in Florida, a win would be huge. Not only would they be victorious in a "winner take all" contest and collect all of the at-large delegates, but this victory, coming exactly a week before "Super Tuesday," would give the winner huge momentum and, presumably, a good number of new donors that could give them the edge in those crucial contests the next week. It's clearly a big deal.

But what does Florida mean for the democrats? Well, that depends on who you ask. Because of the state's decision to move its primary up before Super Tuesday, the Democratic Party punished the state by taking away its delegates. The candidates, therefore, agreed to follow the rules of this punishment by not campaigning in the state. There will be an election for the democrats on Tuesday, despite all this, but really, who cares?

Clinton, that's who. While Obama is now focusing on Super Tuesday states and passing Florida by, because of the state's temporary status as a meaningless contest, Clinton realizes that there is a great opportunity here to recapture the spotlight, with her name still on the ballot, and claim victory in a key general election battleground right before Super Tuesday. Even before votes were cast in South Carolina on Saturday, Hillary Clinton, presumably expecting a large defeat in SC, had already begun to try to shift the focus to the Sunshine State. She even says she'll be there Tuesday night as the results come in, knowing she'll, most likely, easily claim victory.

Why this is so interesting is that Florida, the star of the 2000 election, and key to any presidential general election victory, is being treated like an afterthought by Obama, as he was told to do by his party, and Clinton is using this unique opportunity to her advantage. It's even been said that the Republicans have loved watching this recent show of "Florida-dissing" by the democrats, as come November, democratic voters who felt they may have been ignored in the primary period may not be as enthusiastic about showing up at the polls and supporting Obama, or Clinton, for that matter. Clinton sees both this danger, and the possibility of a large, symbolic victory over Obama, and she is ready to capitalize on this Tuesday night. So what does Florida really mean for this election? We'll soon find out.

Link to article

McCain-Romney Tensions

Almost lost in the coverage from South Carolina is an increasingly close battle between two leading GOP candidates. As Senator McCain and Gov. Romney each compete for the upcoming Florida primary it is increasingly apparent that both sides see the other as their primary challenge for the nomination.

Some highlights of the recent coverage:

• The NYT's John Broder argues that McCain is gaining support from the mainstream GOP (login required).
• Sasha Issenberg and Michael Levenson of the Boston Globe detail how McCain is challenging Romney on questions of setting deadlines for withdrawing from Iraq. CNN's Jeffrey Toobin checks in and disputes the McCain allegation.
  
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• Elizabeth Holmes of the WSJ argues that recent economic turmoil is shifting the focus to Romney.
• Michael Luo, also of the NYT, reports that Romney is disliked among other GOP candidates. Enjoy this quote

"... the almost visceral scorn directed at Mr. Romney by his rivals has been overshadowed. “Never get into a wrestling match with a pig,” Senator John McCain said in New Hampshire this month after reporters asked him about Mr. Romney. “You both get dirty, and the pig likes it.”"

The GOP race

The GOP debate tonight  gives us an opportunity to not lose sight of that very competitive race. The debate just ended and it is being already talked about as critical to Giuliani's hopes. Treat this as an open thread to discuss the GOP race and GOP candidates.

Also wanted to share a recent McCain video. In between being endorsed by Sylvester Stallone and the New York Times, we see a little of McCain being positioned as the best candidate to beat the Democrats in November.

The Conservative Divide

Fred Thompson has dropped his bid for the Republican nomination with a simple three sentence statement which was released to the Associated Press earlier today. For a campaign that began with an appearance on The Tonight Show just a few months ago, this was nothing short of a major disappointment for the GOP. It was this man, many believed, that could unify the party behind the three principles of what has been called Reagan Conservatism. These pillars of the modern conservative party bring together fiscal conservatives, social conservatives, and foreign policy conservatives. While all remaining candidates stand for at least one of these principles, none can claim with any honesty to hold all three. The danger now lies in the possibility that the party will be divided causing many Republicans to stay home in November. Will a social conservative vote for Rudy? Will a foreign policy conservative vote for Huckabee? The fact is that many will be alienated one way or another. Romney is good on the economy, McCain and Giuliani are good on foreign policy, Huckabee is a social Conservatives dream, and Fred....well, Fred is going home for now only to reemerge later as a possible running mate.

McCain, Too Old to Run?

When I first assessed the Presidential candidates, I quickly wrote off John McCain. If elected, he would be the oldest president to be inaugurated. I became concerned with whether or not his health would permit him to be an effective president and if he would live to see the end of his term. To a 21 year-old like myself, seventy-one seems old, but how old is it?

Age is relative and should not be a determining factor of whether or not a person is qualified to run for presidential office. With media coverage of elections constantly growing, image of presidential candidates has grown increasingly important. Many people argue that Franklin D. Roosevelt would never have been elected in a campaign with modern media technology. Seeing him in a wheelchair, people may have assumed that his health would make him incapable of being president. However, he served twelve years and guided the country out of the Great Depression and through War. Furthermore, being young and good-looking does not equal good health. At age 43, John F. Kennedy had the look, but he also had many medical issues that the public did not know about.

McCain is not afraid to address the issue of his age. In his campaign in 2000, he released a medical and psychiatric report to prove his health and sanity. While McCain would be the oldest president inaugurated to office for the first time, it is also important to note that advancements in medicine have increased life expectancy. Being 70 today is not what it was twenty years ago. McCain has the experience and wisdom necessary for the presidential office. Therefore, if people are not going to vote for him, it should be because of his policies rather than his age.

http://election2008.usc.edu/2008/01/mccain-age-factor.html
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1702368,00.html
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22759611/


**This entry is not endorsing McCain. Simply stating that his age should not be the reason people do not vote for him.