Archives: Posts From August 2007
Senator Craig of Idaho...
By Ryan Sager | Fri, 31 Aug 2007 at 8:16 PM | Permalink
Excerpt: ...to resign tomorrow. ...
Thompson Gives Back Money
By Ryan Sager | Fri, 31 Aug 2007 at 4:06 PM | Permalink
Excerpt: That FEC complaint filed against Fred Thompson alleging that he abused his "testing the waters" status must have teeth. Mr. Thompson is giving back tens of thousands of dollars that were raised by his committee for use in the general election. ...
Law & Order
By Ryan Sager | Fri, 31 Aug 2007 at 3:50 PM | Permalink
Excerpt: TNT is going to keep running "Law & Order" reruns featuring Fred Thompson as Arthur Branch. NBC is going to stop running them.
The FCC's regulations require TV networks to provide "equal time" to candidates, but they've never been applied to cable ...
Gay Marriage in Iowa
By Ryan Sager | Fri, 31 Aug 2007 at 3:27 PM | Permalink
Excerpt: This gay-marriage news in Iowa would be a bigger deal, I think, if Mitt Romney weren't already the assumed winner there. Iowans are outraged over the actions of an activist judge; Mr. Romney supports an amendment to the Constitution defining marriage as ...
Political Video of the Day: Clinton on Letterman
By Ryan Sager | Fri, 31 Aug 2007 at 3:23 PM | Permalink
Excerpt: Discussing pantsuits: ...
Univision Debate Postponed Indefinitely
By Ryan Sager | Thu, 30 Aug 2007 at 5:57 PM | Permalink
Excerpt: The Times reports that the Republican debate on Univision for which only John McCain had signed up for has been postponed indefinitely:
Univisiσn, the Spanish-language television network, is postponing its G.O.P. debate. Only Senator John McCain ...
Thompson In; September 6; Via Webcast
By Ryan Sager | Thu, 30 Aug 2007 at 4:16 PM | Permalink
Excerpt: As mentioned earlier, Fred Thompson's now-almost-a-campaign held a conference call with supporters today starting at 4 p.m. It's just concluded.
Mr. Thompson will announce that he is officially a candidate for president on Thursday, September 6, by ...
Political Video of the Day II: POW!
By Ryan Sager | Thu, 30 Aug 2007 at 12:52 PM | Permalink
Excerpt: The McCain team has come out with a 12 minute Internet video focusing on the senator's POW experience, called "Courageous Service." While Mr. McCain's POW story is compelling, it's far from unknown, and doesn't seem like it's nearly enough to reboot his ...
Thompson Set to Pre-Nounce
By Ryan Sager | Thu, 30 Aug 2007 at 12:46 PM | Permalink
Excerpt: The Thompson campaign will hold a conference call for supporters today at 4 p.m.*, with political director Randy Enwright.
Thompson-connected sources say the call is supposed to discuss what's going on in the next 12 or so days, with an announcement of ...
Political Video of the Day: Romney Jogs
By Ryan Sager | Thu, 30 Aug 2007 at 11:12 AM | Permalink
Excerpt: Here's Mitt Romney's newest ad, which features him jogging. It's called "Leadership" and begins running in Iowa and New Hampshire today:
The ad's script is below the fold... Script For "Leadership" (TV:30):
ANNOUNCER: "An Olympics hit by scandal ...
Mitt Romney vs. Barry Goldwater
By Ryan Sager | Thu, 30 Aug 2007 at 10:50 AM | Permalink
Excerpt: When the Larry Craig scandal broke, Mitt Romney quickly threw the senator previously the head of his senate outreach effort under the bus. He not only let Mr. Craig resign from the campaign (which is more than understandable), but he also took to the ...
McCain Death Watch: Arizona Edition
By Ryan Sager | Thu, 30 Aug 2007 at 1:38 AM | Permalink
Excerpt: Could John McCain lose his home state in the GOP primary? Well, given that the Arizona primary takes place on February 26, chances are he won't even be in the race by then. But a new poll from Arizona State University shows he's got some close ...
Fightin' Words
By Ryan Sager | Wed, 29 Aug 2007 at 2:21 PM | Permalink
Excerpt: The New Hampshire Union-Leader says that if Fred Thompson doesn't come to the state's September 5 GOP primary debate, he's a chicken. ...
Political Video of the Day: McCain Re-Announces on Leno
By Ryan Sager | Wed, 29 Aug 2007 at 1:30 PM | Permalink
Excerpt: John McCain on Leno last night: ...
Wyoming: We're No. 1!
By Ryan Sager | Wed, 29 Aug 2007 at 12:24 PM | Permalink
Excerpt: Wyoming has moved up its delegate selection to January 5 ahead of Iowa and New Hampshire (at least for now). This isn't a primary, though, so perhaps it won't have much impact. The AP explains:
Wyoming doesn't have caucuses or primaries. Instead, the ...
Idahoans to Craig: Drop Dead
By Ryan Sager | Wed, 29 Aug 2007 at 12:16 PM | Permalink
Excerpt: A new Survey USA poll out today shows 55% of Idahoans want Senator Craig, of bathroom scandal fame, to resign. (See Question 3.)
The Politico runs down the many potential replacements for Mr. Craig, should he decline to run of step down: There would be ...
Political Video of the Day: Senator Craig: 'I am not gay'
By Ryan Sager | Tue, 28 Aug 2007 at 5:40 PM | Permalink
Excerpt: Senator Craig of Idaho responds to the ongoing Minneapolis airport bathroom scandal: ...
McCain Qualifies for Federal Matching Funds
By Ryan Sager | Tue, 28 Aug 2007 at 5:08 PM | Permalink
Excerpt: John McCain has become the first presidential candidate to qualify for federal matching funds. This doesn't mean Mr. McCain is taking matching funds his campaign says it hasn't made up its mind but it does mean he's submitted forms asking to qualify, ...
Mayor Bloomberg Has No Reason To Run for President
By Ryan Sager | Tue, 28 Aug 2007 at 4:58 PM | Permalink
Excerpt: After all, Hillary Clinton and Mike Huckabee both support a national smoking ban. ...
California Field Poll: Giuliani Leads, McCain Sinks
By Ryan Sager | Tue, 28 Aug 2007 at 1:44 PM | Permalink
Excerpt: Here are the results of the latest California Field Poll:
Giuliani: 35% Romney: 14% Thompson: 13% McCain: 9%
On the Democratic side, Hillary Clinton leads Barack Obama 49%-19%. Mrs. Clinton may not be counting on a February 5 strategy, but if she gets ...
Now, McCain's Mother
By Ryan Sager | Tue, 28 Aug 2007 at 12:55 PM | Permalink
Excerpt: Tomorrow is John McCain's 71st birthday. Last week, we had an appeal from his wife to cough up for a birthday present. Now, we have a video from Mr. McCain's mother.
View it here.
The text of the email appeal to which this was attached is below the ...
Giuliani Media Buys
By Ryan Sager | Tue, 28 Aug 2007 at 11:52 AM | Permalink
Excerpt: Ben Smith reports that Rudy Giuliani's campaign is looking into ad buys in Illinois, Georgia, Oklahoma, and West Virginia. Except for West Virginia which is running a very odd primary this cycle all of those states are February 5 states.
Just ...
Thompson Blogs From the Road
By Ryan Sager | Mon, 27 Aug 2007 at 11:18 PM | Permalink
Excerpt: Fred Thompson has updated his campaign blog from the road:
This past Saturday I was at the Midwest Leadership Forum in Indianapolis, Indiana, with state Republican leaders from across the Midwest. I shared my concerns about the direction this country ...
Kennedy Switches to GOP
By Ryan Sager | Mon, 27 Aug 2007 at 10:57 PM | Permalink
Excerpt: Not the Kennedy you're imagining. ...
Romney-Craig, Giuliani-Vitter
By Ryan Sager | Mon, 27 Aug 2007 at 10:43 PM | Permalink
Excerpt: The headline? Those are two presidential tickets you won't be seeing come 2008.
The Romney campaign has disappeared a video from his YouTube channel of Senator Craig, Republican of Idaho, praising Mitt Romney. Mr. Craig, currently caught up in an ...
More Reactions on Gonzales
By Ryan Sager | Mon, 27 Aug 2007 at 10:34 PM | Permalink
Excerpt: Earlier, we heard from Rudy Giuliani and Fred Thompson. Now, we have a statement from Mitt Romney: "Attorney General Gonzales should be recognized for his many years of public service to the State of Texas and to the people of the United States at both ...
Bloomberg
By Ryan Sager | Mon, 27 Aug 2007 at 3:43 PM | Permalink
Excerpt: Fred Siegel has a great post up at Commentary's blog, Contentions, about all the hype over the idea of a Michael Bloomberg candidacy for president. (In particular, he's responding to this David Broder column.)
Mr. Siegel basic point is that, despite all ...
Reactions on Gonzales
By Ryan Sager | Mon, 27 Aug 2007 at 1:25 PM | Permalink
Excerpt: RCP has a roundup of the Democratic candidates' responses to the resignation of Alberto Gonzales as attorney general (nothing too shocking or juicy).
So far, the Republican candidates have yet to issue statements.
A press spokesman for John McCain says ...
Shaking Through
By Ryan Sager | Mon, 27 Aug 2007 at 1:12 PM | Permalink
Excerpt: More staff shake-ups at the Thompson non-campaign.
The narrative the campaign seems to be pushing is that this shows that Bill Lacy, the new campaign manager, is large and in charge and, thus, that there's no longer a "Jeri problem," of Mr. Thompson's ...
Political Video of the Day: Possible Alberto Gonzales Replacement
By Ryan Sager | Mon, 27 Aug 2007 at 12:40 PM | Permalink
Excerpt: Some have noted the similarity between this and Alberto Gonzales's testimony before Congress: ...
Gone-zales
By Ryan Sager | Mon, 27 Aug 2007 at 10:15 AM | Permalink
Excerpt: Attorney General Alberto Gonzales will announce his resignation later today. The likely replacement is apparently Homeland Security chief Michael Chertoff. ...
The YouTube Campaign
By Ryan Sager | Sun, 26 Aug 2007 at 1:02 PM | Permalink
Excerpt: The phrase "the YouTube campaign" has been thrown around a bit this election cycle to denote the influence of short Internet videos in the presidential race at large.
It may, however, be a phrase better applied to Fred Thompson's effort. Robert Novak ...
Romney Confusion
By Ryan Sager | Fri, 24 Aug 2007 at 11:02 AM | Permalink
Excerpt: Some confusion this morning about the Romney health care plan:
"Romney favors national health care modeled on Massachusetts plan," Glen Johnson, AP "Romney Won't Adapt Mass. Plan," Perry Bacon Jr., Washington Post
"Romney's Federal Prescription," Mary ...
Fox Poll: McCain Drops to Fourth; Romney Takes Third
By Ryan Sager | Fri, 24 Aug 2007 at 10:42 AM | Permalink
Excerpt: Here are the GOP numbers from the latest Fox News poll (with the change since the last poll in July in parentheses):
Giuliani: 29% (+2) Thompson: 14% (-2) Romney: 11% (+2) McCain: 7% (-9)
The biggest news here would have to be the McCain plummet by 9 ...
Political Video of the Day: Obama Shoots a 3-Pointer in SC
By Ryan Sager | Thu, 23 Aug 2007 at 5:44 PM | Permalink
Excerpt: Nice: ...
Pew: Giuliani More Popular Than Clinton
By Ryan Sager | Thu, 23 Aug 2007 at 2:48 PM | Permalink
Excerpt: Hillary Clinton is popular with her base. Rudy Giuliani is not as popular with his.
However...
Mr. Giuliani is popular with the electorate as a whole. Mrs. Clinton is far less so.
All that and more in the latest report out from Pew. ...
McCain Death Watch: Charlie Cook Edition
By Ryan Sager | Thu, 23 Aug 2007 at 1:57 PM | Permalink
Excerpt: I'd missed this yesterday from Bloomberg News:
"For all intents and purposes, McCain's campaign is over," said Charlie Cook, publisher of the nonpartisan Cook Political Report in Washington. "I see no real sign of life."
Mr. Cook has been known to, as ...
McCain Death Watch: Birthday Edition
By Ryan Sager | Thu, 23 Aug 2007 at 1:13 PM | Permalink
Excerpt: I just received the following email in my inbox:
Dear Ryan,
Could you do something special for my husband?
To my great surprise, this was not a Nigerian email scam. Instead, I'm being asked to sign an online birthday card for John McCain (it's next ...
Q-Poll: Romney Gets Boost at Expense of Thompson in Pennsylvania
By Ryan Sager | Thu, 23 Aug 2007 at 12:16 PM | Permalink
Excerpt: The latest Q-Poll out of Pennsylvania shows the state is still Rudy Giuliani country, but Mitt Romney has gotten a minor boost out of his Iowa win cutting into Fred Thompson's support.
The candidates number in PA are as follows (with the change since ...
Political Audio of the Day: Giuliani on Immigration on Ingraham
By Ryan Sager | Thu, 23 Aug 2007 at 12:01 PM | Permalink
Excerpt: Here's Rudy Giuliani on the Laura Ingraham radio show discussing illegal immigration:
Click here to listen to MP3.
The segment is earning rave reviews, even from skeptics. ...
Time: Giuliani's Mixed Record on Terrorism
By Ryan Sager | Thu, 23 Aug 2007 at 11:33 AM | Permalink
Excerpt: Time magazine has taken a look at Rudy Giuliani's record on terrorism and foreign policy. It's a skeptical article, but fairly balanced unlike, say, anything Wayne Barrett has ever written about the former mayor. Its ultimate conclusion:
In addition ...
Thompson Up in South Carolina
By Ryan Sager | Thu, 23 Aug 2007 at 12:36 AM | Permalink
Excerpt: The latest Rasmussen numbers out of South Carolina have Fred Thompson at the front of the pack and John McCain down:
Thompson: 23% Giuliani: 21% McCain: 14% Romney: 10% Huckabee: 6%
As has been the case elsewhere, Mr. Thompson does better with men, ...
Thompson: 'We're not allowed to announce before we announce'
By Ryan Sager | Thu, 23 Aug 2007 at 12:28 AM | Permalink
Excerpt: Apparently less than concerned with the FEC complaint that's been filed against him, Fred Thompson was out on the air again yesterday announcing his non-candidacy: "We're not allowed to announce before we announce, but I can tell you that it won't be ...
Romney and Abortion
By Ryan Sager | Thu, 23 Aug 2007 at 12:24 AM | Permalink
Excerpt: So, Mitt Romney is for letting the states decide about abortion, until he's for a Human Life Amendment to the Constitution which would impose a pro-life policy on every state.
As one Republican operative friend emailed today: The guy who has to explain ...
Political Video of the Day: The First Green President
By Ryan Sager | Wed, 22 Aug 2007 at 4:22 PM | Permalink
Excerpt: A new ad in Iowa, from the League of Conservation Voters: ...
Rasmusen: Romney More Negative Than Clinton
By Ryan Sager | Wed, 22 Aug 2007 at 3:57 PM | Permalink
Excerpt: A new Rasmussen report shows that however high Hilary Clinton's negative ratings might be, Mitt Romney's are worse.
44% of likely voters would vote against Mr. Romney, as opposed to 43% against Mrs. Clinton. The Romney-haters include 25% of Republicans ...
Gallup Takes Issue With Rove Analysis
By Ryan Sager | Wed, 22 Aug 2007 at 3:16 PM | Permalink
Excerpt: Gallup today has issued a response to Karl Rove's public speculation that while Hillary Clinton may be the Democratic nominee, she is too "fatally flawed" in terms of public hostility toward her to be elected president:
Rove is correct in noting that ...
CO Senate: Not Looking Good for the GOP
By Ryan Sager | Wed, 22 Aug 2007 at 12:51 PM | Permalink
Excerpt: Liz Mair looks at the race for Senator Allard's seat in 2008. Mr. Allard, a Republican, is not running for reelection. Rep. Mark Udall, a Democrat, is running on the Democratic side. Former Rep. Bob Schaffer is supposed to be running on the Republican ...
Weyrich: GOP Will Lose
By Ryan Sager | Wed, 22 Aug 2007 at 12:49 PM | Permalink
Excerpt: Social conservative godfather Paul Weyrich has a straightforward prediction about 2008: The Republicans will lose the White House. ...
Rasmussen: Romney Lead Solidifies in Iowa
By Ryan Sager | Wed, 22 Aug 2007 at 12:30 PM | Permalink
Excerpt: According to the latest Rasmussen poll in the state, Mitt Romney's Iowa lead has solidified (change since May in parentheses):
Romney: 33% (+14) Giuliani: 14% (-4) Thompson: 12% (+3) Huckabee: 8% (+6) McCain: 6% (-12) Brownback: 4% (+2) Tancredo: 3% ...
McCain Death Watch: 2010 Edition
By Ryan Sager | Wed, 22 Aug 2007 at 12:17 AM | Permalink
Excerpt: John McCain's senate seat isn't up until 2010. But if Arizona's Democratic governor, Janet Napolitano, challenged him for it, this poll says she'd win, 47%-36%. ...
McCain vs. Romney
By Ryan Sager | Wed, 22 Aug 2007 at 12:10 AM | Permalink
Excerpt: Jonathan Martin catches John McCain going easy on Rudy Giuliani, so as to take a shot at Mitt Romney.
Mr. Giuliani has said repeatedly in the campaign that he'd be supporting Mr. McCain if not for his own candidacy. It looks like a play for Mr. McCain's ...
Political Theater
By Ryan Sager | Tue, 21 Aug 2007 at 11:44 PM | Permalink
Excerpt: The Fred Thompson vs. Rudy Giuliani war of words has escalated. Mr. Giuliani's communications director, Katie Levinson, has gone on the record with this:
Those who live in New York in the real world - not on TV - know that Rudy Giuliani's record of ...
Pity New York City
By Ryan Sager | Tue, 21 Aug 2007 at 2:08 PM | Permalink
Excerpt: Mitt Romney was up with a radio ad this morning decrying "cities like Newark, San Francisco and New York City that adopt sanctuary policies." Now, on his non-campaign blog, Fred Thompson has launched his own attack on Gotham.
In the post, Mr. Thompson ...
Political Video of the Day: Clinton Says the Surge Is Working
By Ryan Sager | Tue, 21 Aug 2007 at 2:03 PM | Permalink
Excerpt: This should make the Kos Krowd happy:
Not only does Hillary Clinton say the surge is working, she says we constantly need to be preparing for the next war. While what she's saying sounds prudent to conservatives, it won't sound too great to liberals ...
Quote of the Day
By Ryan Sager | Tue, 21 Aug 2007 at 2:02 PM | Permalink
Excerpt: From John Fund's Political Diary:
"For a long time, I've defended Hugo Chavez... In retrospect, I realize that I was willing to overlook his authoritarian tendencies because of one main thing: his avowed commitment to social justice issues and his ...
Political Audio of the Day: Romney vs. Giuliani
By Ryan Sager | Tue, 21 Aug 2007 at 10:02 AM | Permalink
Excerpt: Mitt Romney's campaign has launched a new radio ad, "Exceptional":
It's another swat at Rudy Giuliani, listing New York City as a sanctuary city that encourages illegal immigration. ...
Club for Growth: Romney a Mixed Bag
By Ryan Sager | Tue, 21 Aug 2007 at 9:42 AM | Permalink
Excerpt: The Club for Growth has released its latest candidate white paper, evaluating the "pro-growth" records of the GOP's 2008 contenders, this time taking on Mitt Romney. The group finds him a decidedly mixed bag: Romney's strident opposition to the flat tax; ...
Zogby/NewsMax: Clinton Pulls Ahead in Iowa
By Ryan Sager | Tue, 21 Aug 2007 at 9:25 AM | Permalink
Excerpt: According to the latest Zogby/NewsMax poll, Hillary Clinton has pulled ahead in Iowa: Clinton: 30% Obama: 23% Edwards: 19% Richardson: 10%
Further: "Clinton's move up in Iowa replicates what she has done nationally, building a powerhouse campaign and ...
No Bloomberg for President
By Ryan Sager | Mon, 20 Aug 2007 at 6:17 PM | Permalink
Excerpt: For anyone who's missed it, Michael Bloomberg appears to have told Dan Rather, rather unequivocally, that he's not running for president.
The interview will run on HDNet, the crazy network Mr. Rather had to go to after he was booted from CBS. ...
On the Radio
By Ryan Sager | Mon, 20 Aug 2007 at 3:26 PM | Permalink
Excerpt: At 4:15 p.m. Eastern time (1:15 p.m. Pacific), I'll be on "Politics of Money," on AM1000 in California.
You can check out the show's Web site here, and I believe listen live over the Internet. ...
Testing 'Testing the Waters'
By Ryan Sager | Mon, 20 Aug 2007 at 2:45 PM | Permalink
Excerpt: A complaint has been filed against the Fred Thompson non-campaign, alleging violations of the "testing the waters" committee status that the Fred Thompson for President Exploratory Committee has been using.
It comes from liberal blogger Lane Hudson, who ...
Reasonable Rudy Giuliani
By Ryan Sager | Mon, 20 Aug 2007 at 2:33 PM | Permalink
Excerpt: Libertarians may love to hate Rudy Giuliani, but he's popped up on one of their strongholds today: the Reason Foundation's Web site (the Reason Foundation publishes Reason magazine).
His piece's title: "Management Requires Measurement: The Key to New ...
McCain Blogger Call
By Ryan Sager | Mon, 20 Aug 2007 at 12:38 PM | Permalink
Excerpt: Jim Geraghty has a full report on this morning's McCain blogger conference call.
The main news: He's going to be launching a "No Surrender Tour," pegging the hopes of his near-dead campaign on his support for the Iraq war.
I don't get this strategy for ...
Paul: Two Straw Polls
By Ryan Sager | Mon, 20 Aug 2007 at 11:07 AM | Permalink
Excerpt: Ron Paul wins two straw polls: Alabama and New Hampshire. ...
Shorter New Yorker Giuliani Profile
By Ryan Sager | Mon, 20 Aug 2007 at 12:16 AM | Permalink
Excerpt: Shorter New Yorker Giuliani profile: .
For an awfully long profile, there's not an awful lot that's new. If you know a decent amount about Rudy Giuliani's past and have been paying vague attention to the current campaign, the profile probably represents ...
Latest Gallup: Romney Up, McCain Down
By Ryan Sager | Sun, 19 Aug 2007 at 11:35 PM | Permalink
Excerpt: Here are he numbers from the latest Gallup poll:
(change from August 3-5 in parentheses)
Giuliani: 32% (-1) Thompson: 19% (-2) Romney: 14% (+6) McCain: 11% (-5)
Mitt Romney may be getting a boost from the Iowa Straw Poll though, his rise also could ...
Democrats' ABC/Iowa Debate
By Ryan Sager | Sun, 19 Aug 2007 at 3:23 PM | Permalink
Excerpt: I couldn't watch the debate live, but I DVR'd it, so here are my delayed thoughts:
A pretty boring outing. There's a reason Barack Obama is right to not agree to many more of these: The ground's been covered. There are only so many times the candidates ...
MSNBC
By Ryan Sager | Sun, 19 Aug 2007 at 1:06 AM | Permalink
Excerpt: I'm scheduled to be on MSNBC tomorrow morning (Sunday), at 8:30 & 9:40, talking about Rudy Giuliani.
If for some odd reason you get up before 11:30 a.m. on Sundays, tune in. ...
Michael Deaver: 1938-2007
By Ryan Sager | Sat, 18 Aug 2007 at 9:10 PM | Permalink
Excerpt: Reagan aide Michael Deaver has passed away at 69 of pancreatic cancer.
Mike Krempasky of Red State, who worked with Mr. Deaver at Edelman public relations, has thoughts here.
Edelman has a statement here. ...
Political Video of the Day: Thompson Arrives in Iowa
By Ryan Sager | Sat, 18 Aug 2007 at 12:10 AM | Permalink
Excerpt: Fred Thompson arrives in Iowa. Fox News covers it, with a bit of skepticism (and misidentifies him as a former senator from North Carolina ... at leas they have him down as a Republican!):
And then there was this little shot: ...
Giuliani: The Elephant in the Room (or, rather, the parade)
By Ryan Sager | Sat, 18 Aug 2007 at 12:03 AM | Permalink
Excerpt: An over-enthusiastic Rudy-backer in New Hampshire tries to turn a parade into a circus.
(via Martin) ...
Testing the What Now?
By Ryan Sager | Fri, 17 Aug 2007 at 5:38 PM | Permalink
Excerpt: Fred Thompson trips up on his campaign's "testing the waters" sham: "We are going to be getting in if we get in, and of course, we are in the testing the waters phase," he said. "We're going to be making a statement shortly that will cure all of that. ...
Thompson Opposes Gay Marriage Amendment
By Ryan Sager | Fri, 17 Aug 2007 at 5:33 PM | Permalink
Excerpt: A CNN story earlier made it appear as if Fred Thompson were pledging to push for a federal constitutional amendment banning gay marriage. In this clarification sent to National Review, however, the Thompson campaign declares:
Thompson believes that ...
NV: Romney Ahead
By Ryan Sager | Fri, 17 Aug 2007 at 12:15 PM | Permalink
Excerpt: According to a new poll out of Nevada, Mitt Romney is leading in that state by 10%:
Mitt Romney: 28% (March: 4%) Fred Thompson: 18% (March: n/a) Rudy Giuliani: 18% (March: 38%) John McCain: 8% (March: 18%) Newt Gingrich: 4% (March: 13%) Mike Huckabee: ...
Political Video of the Day: McCain on 'The Daily Show'
By Ryan Sager | Fri, 17 Aug 2007 at 11:53 AM | Permalink
Excerpt: John McCain makes his 10th appearance on "The Daily Show." (You can also watch a bigger version on Comedy Central's site here.) Whatever else happens in this campaign, this guy's still funny: ...
Ever Wondered About Carbon Offsets?
By Ryan Sager | Thu, 16 Aug 2007 at 3:43 PM | Permalink
Excerpt: Wonder no more.
They're pretty much fraudulent.
A real market in pollution reduction could probably be set up. But we're not there yet. Let's see what the Democratic campaigns have to say about all of this. Clinton and Edwards claim to be running ...
Yet More Fred Blogging
By Ryan Sager | Thu, 16 Aug 2007 at 3:24 PM | Permalink
Excerpt: If increasing Fred Thompson chatter were an indicator of an imminent entry into the presidential race, I'd have to say like the head of Homeland Security that I have a gut feeling we'll be hearing a definitive statement from the former Tennessee ...
McCain Death Watch: Golden State Edition
By Ryan Sager | Thu, 16 Aug 2007 at 1:21 PM | Permalink
Excerpt: According to the latest Field Poll out of California, John McCain's support has plummeted to 9% now, from 24% in March.
Rudy Giuliani is at 34% and has essentially stayed static.
Mitt Romney has risen to 14% today, from 7% in March. Fred Thompson has ...
Has Fred Waited Too Long?
By Ryan Sager | Thu, 16 Aug 2007 at 12:57 PM | Permalink
Excerpt: For now, I'll say stick the the Great Law of Headline Question Marks (if it has a question mark, the answer is no). But Reid Wilson over at RealClearPolitics is making the argument that it may be too late for Fred Thompson:
Fred Thompson had his chance ...
Strategic Vision: Giuliani Lead Holds in Florida
By Ryan Sager | Thu, 16 Aug 2007 at 12:52 PM | Permalink
Excerpt: Here's the latest Strategic Vision poll out of Florida, taken August 10-12 (the Iowa Straw Poll was August 11):
Who is your first choice for the Republican nomination in 2008? (Republicans only)
Rudy Giuliani: 34% Fred Thompson: 18% Mitt Romney: 10% ...
PPP: Fred Leads, Romney Up in SC
By Ryan Sager | Wed, 15 Aug 2007 at 7:27 PM | Permalink
Excerpt: Public Policy Polling has a new poll out on the South Carolina primary on the Republican and Democratic sides (note: robo-polling):
Thompson: 22% Giuliani: 18% Romney: 17% McCain: 11% Huckabee: 7% Brownback: 3% Paul: 2%
The Thompson gender gap is in ...
Conservative Blogger and McCain Consultant: Movement doesn't 'give a s--t about ordinary people'
By Ryan Sager | Wed, 15 Aug 2007 at 6:09 PM | Permalink
Excerpt: A consultant to John McCain's presidential campaign in charge of online outreach, Patrick Hynes of Ankle Biting Pundits, has just penned a screed, titled "Identity Group Conservatism," decrying the current state of the Republican Party and the ...
Political Video of the Day: Giuliani on Immigration
By Ryan Sager | Wed, 15 Aug 2007 at 5:01 PM | Permalink
Excerpt: This is pretty damning heading into Mitt Romney territory:
(via TPM)
See a transcript of Mr. Giuliani's 1996 remarks below the fold...At the Kennedy School of Government:
GIULIANI: But then I think we have to, with some degree of wisdom, come to ...
Q-Poll: Romney in Second; McCain Heading for Single Digits
By Ryan Sager | Wed, 15 Aug 2007 at 3:14 PM | Permalink
Excerpt: The latest Quinnipiac poll, conducted August 7-13 (the Iowa Straw Poll was on the 11th, meaning the poll was taken on four days before the straw poll, on the day of the straw poll, and for two days after), gives us the following numbers:
Aug.
...
Fred Thompson on Fair Tax
By Ryan Sager | Wed, 15 Aug 2007 at 2:53 PM | Permalink
Excerpt: Fred Thompson, the non-candidate, has given a non-endorsement to the Fair Tax:
I've appreciated seeing the Fair Tax folks when I'm out on the road, as well as their enthusiasm when they've come to my events. Although I wish they'd get my good side when ...
More on Ingraham on Immigrants
By Ryan Sager | Wed, 15 Aug 2007 at 2:34 PM | Permalink
Excerpt: It turns out there's now a full version of my Laura Ingraham appearance online:
Link: sevenload.com
Listen to the whole thing to hear Ms. Ingraham insist that we wouldn't have people being killed by drunk drivers if only there were no illegal ...
Romney: A YES Man
By Ryan Sager | Wed, 15 Aug 2007 at 1:25 PM | Permalink
Excerpt: Don't tell Boston fans, but Mitt Romney owns a stake in the hated New York Yankees' empire: some stock in the Yankees Entertainment and Sports (YES) network. As the Boston Herald puts it, "The YES network broadcasts the Bronx Bombers' games and is partly ...
Ingraham on Immigrants
By Ryan Sager | Wed, 15 Aug 2007 at 12:14 PM | Permalink
Excerpt: Yesterday morning, I went on the Laura Ingraham show. You can click here to listen to the podcast. (It's only the first 5 minutes of a 15 minute interview.)
The conversation deals quickly with the whole Sam Brownback kerfuffle, and then moves onto what ...
Rudy on the Radio: 'Fence'
By Ryan Sager | Wed, 15 Aug 2007 at 10:04 AM | Permalink
Excerpt: Click here to listen to Rudy Giuliani's new Iowa radio ad: "Fence."
And here's the script:
Voice Over: "Here's Rudy Giuliani" Mayor Giuliani: "It frustrates me that if someone comes here illegally, in addition to everything else that's involved in ...
NRO: High Praise for Rudy's Immigration Positioning
By Ryan Sager | Tue, 14 Aug 2007 at 6:40 PM | Permalink
Excerpt: People said I was crazy when I argued that Rudy Giuliani would be able to overcome problems with the Republican base, but he just keeps on doing it. Here's National Review's editor, Rich Lowry, going gaga over Mr. Giuliani's new position on immigration: ...
Interior West Watch: Hillary in the Centennial State
By Ryan Sager | Tue, 14 Aug 2007 at 4:51 PM | Permalink
Excerpt: Liz Mair points out an interesting poll out of Colorado, performed by Rasmussen. The poll runs some general-election scenarios, basically Hillary Clinton versus the Republican Big Four, and finds that everyone ends up in a statistical tie with Mrs. ...
Clinton Pardon Troubles
By Ryan Sager | Tue, 14 Aug 2007 at 1:52 PM | Permalink
Excerpt: Via The Hill...
Three of Bill Clinton's midnight pardons have since had further trouble with the law. ...
Fred: Blogging Up a Storm
By Ryan Sager | Tue, 14 Aug 2007 at 12:30 PM | Permalink
Excerpt: Fred Thompson is blogging up a storm. Here he is today on earmark reform: The American people deserve to know more than who sponsored special interest legislation. They deserve earmark reform that puts an end to special interest earmarking and provides ...
NH Union Leader: Anti-Romney
By Ryan Sager | Tue, 14 Aug 2007 at 10:54 AM | Permalink
Excerpt: When it comes to the New Hampshire Republican primary, there's one newspaper endorsement sought above all others: the New Hampshire Union-Leader (despite the fact that it's had limited impact on election results). And lately, the Union-Leader and its ...
When I'm Wrong, I'm Wrong
By Ryan Sager | Mon, 13 Aug 2007 at 11:37 PM | Permalink
Excerpt: Having given it a bit more thought, I think Byron York is right. I should have been clear that Sam Brownback was quoting what Mother Teresa said to him when he said at the Iowa Straw Poll, "All for Jesus. All for Jesus. All for Jesus. All for Jesus."
I ...
Andrew Sullivan Is Right
By Ryan Sager | Mon, 13 Aug 2007 at 11:26 PM | Permalink
Excerpt: Andrew Sullivan calls me out here for buying the Human Rights Campaign spin that the recent gay-issues forum on Logo was "historic." In fact, they held a similar forum back in 2003, carried in its entirety on C-SPAN; it had all of the major Democratic ...
Thompson on Sanctuary Cities
By Ryan Sager | Mon, 13 Aug 2007 at 11:04 PM | Permalink
Excerpt: Fred Thompson posts at his campaign blog: If you listen to folks who oppose immigration and border enforcement, you get the feeling they think we put locks on our doors to keep everybody out. The truth is we have locks so we can choose who comes in. Read ...
CBS: Rudy Up, Romney Up; Fred Down, McCain Down
By Ryan Sager | Mon, 13 Aug 2007 at 7:46 PM | Permalink
Excerpt: CBS News has a new poll out on the GOP primary. It only gives respondents the choice between the top-four candidates. It was completed August 8-12, before the Iowa Straw Poll results were known. Here are the results:
Now
July
June
...
Brownback: 'All for Jesus'
By Ryan Sager | Mon, 13 Aug 2007 at 7:16 PM | Permalink
Excerpt: Byron York writes over at National Review to "correct" the part of my column today where I quote Sam Brownback declaring: "All for Jesus. All for Jesus. All for Jesus. All for Jesus."
York:
In the portion of the speech that Sager cited, Brownback ...
Straw Poll Death Toll: Sticks at 1
By Ryan Sager | Mon, 13 Aug 2007 at 4:56 PM | Permalink
Excerpt: Sam Brownback failed to place second in the Iowa Straw Poll, losing out to Mike Huckabee, but for now at least it seems he's hanging in there. From his campaign:
Brownback Exceeds Expectations at Ames Straw Poll Top three finish provides boost and ...
Huck for VP
By Ryan Sager | Mon, 13 Aug 2007 at 3:27 PM | Permalink
Excerpt: Andrew Sullivan notes:
Huckabee As VP?
After Ames and the debates, it seems an obvious choice for the current front-runners. All of them - Giuliani, Romney, McCain, FThompson - will have problems with the Christianist core of the GOP. Hillary will only ...
New Yorker on Rudy
By Ryan Sager | Mon, 13 Aug 2007 at 11:11 AM | Permalink
Excerpt: I haven't had a chance to read it yet it runs roughly 15,000 words but the New Yorker has a mega-profile of Rudy Giuliani.
I wouldn't expect it to be terribly positive. ...
Huckabee Bounce Watch
By Ryan Sager | Mon, 13 Aug 2007 at 10:14 AM | Permalink
Excerpt: With Mike Huckabee's surprise second-place finish in the Iowa straw poll, it's time to start watching for signs of a bounce: poll numbers, press coverage, etc.
Let's start with press coverage. Today, the New York Times takes a look at Mr. Huckabee's ...
Straw Poll Death Toll: 1
By Ryan Sager | Mon, 13 Aug 2007 at 9:50 AM | Permalink
Excerpt: The former governor of Wisconsin, Tommy Thompson, has dropped out of the race for the Republican nomination, having finished in sixth place in the Iowa Straw Poll. Mr. Thompson said before the race that he would drop out if he didn't place first or ...
Huckabee's Night in Ames
By Ryan Sager | Sat, 11 Aug 2007 at 9:38 PM | Permalink
Excerpt: After a long day and night of microanalysis of Ames, let me leave you this evening with a quick rundown on what I think it all means:
* The headline out of tonight is clearly Mike Huckabee's second-place finish, just 13.4 points behind Mitt Romney. Mr. ...
Finally...
By Ryan Sager | Sat, 11 Aug 2007 at 9:25 PM | Permalink
Excerpt: Results are certified by State Auditor David Vaudt and Chairman Ray Hoffmann:
1. Mitt Romney 4516 31.5%
2. Mike Huckabee 2587 18.1%
3. Sam Brownback 2192 15.3%
4. Tom Tancredo 1961 13.7%
5. Ron Paul 1305 9.1%
6. Tommy Thompson 1039 7.3%
7. Fred ...
And the Winner Is...
By Ryan Sager | Sat, 11 Aug 2007 at 8:01 PM | Permalink
Excerpt: ...not yet. But it's getting nutty in here with the Ron Paul people chanting wildly.
7:02: And the announcement is that it will be at least another 15 minutes before the results.
7:05: It should probably be noted that one of the effects of Mitt Romney ...
Attendance
By Ryan Sager | Sat, 11 Aug 2007 at 6:56 PM | Permalink
Excerpt: According to RCP Blog, attendance at this year's Ames poll is around 30,000-33,000. That marks a decline from 40,000 in 1999. There may also end up being fewer votes cast.
It certainly doesn't help that three out of four major candidates aren't here ...
Brownback Keeps His Cool And His Crowd
By Ryan Sager | Sat, 11 Aug 2007 at 6:37 PM | Permalink
Excerpt: Byron York notes that Sam Brownback has done the best job of keeping his folks on site as things wind down. There's a good reason for that: air conditioning. His is the only tent with it.
As someone who just came from eating pulled pork in the blissful ...
Political Video of the Day: Paulites At Ames
By Ryan Sager | Sat, 11 Aug 2007 at 4:47 PM | Permalink
Excerpt: From Ames, the Ron Paul minions storm the Straw Poll: ...
Brownbackers
By Ryan Sager | Sat, 11 Aug 2007 at 4:20 PM | Permalink
Excerpt: They're making a big showing right now as the senator is introduced.
Does it rival Mitt? We'll find out...
Bold claim: "As president, I will rebuild the American family."
Pander: "We need to be more dependent on the Midwest for energy than on the ...
Wow...
By Ryan Sager | Sat, 11 Aug 2007 at 4:05 PM | Permalink
Excerpt: ...the crowd could hardly be less enthusiastic for Tommy Thompson. Aside from the people put up front to fill out the TV frame in favor of the candidate, there's hardly a person clapping or even paying attention.
Mr. Thompson was a good governor and an ...
Duncan Hunter
By Ryan Sager | Sat, 11 Aug 2007 at 3:55 PM | Permalink
Excerpt: Who? ...
Who Hearts Huckabee? (Yes, I've Used This Headline Before. I Like It.)
By Ryan Sager | Sat, 11 Aug 2007 at 3:16 PM | Permalink
Excerpt: Mike Huckabee comes out swinging hard at Mitt Romney: "I can't buy you. ... I can't even rent you."
But, he says, Iowans have an opportunity to prove that they are mature voters, thoughtful and savvy about the process voters who know they are buying ...
Paul vs. Ingraham
By Ryan Sager | Sat, 11 Aug 2007 at 3:13 PM | Permalink
Excerpt: As the Ron Paul folks beat a very noisy retreat from the coliseum, Laura Ingraham took a few shots at them:
1) Calling them the "Peace Train" (here, that's an insult)
2) Hectoring: How many of you are eligible to vote?
As I mentioned earlier, probably ...
Ron Paul Speaks
By Ryan Sager | Sat, 11 Aug 2007 at 2:57 PM | Permalink
Excerpt: Ron Paul comes in after a very boisterous march-in by his supporters, chanting, "Real change, Ron Paul!" K. Lo. has this right: Ron Paul has the LOUDEST supporters.
Ron Paul leads off (aside from a brief shout-out to peace) with the fact that he is ...
Cox on Cox
By Ryan Sager | Sat, 11 Aug 2007 at 2:47 PM | Permalink
Excerpt: John Cox says he's the son of a single mother ... and if abortion had been legal in the 1950s, he would have been aborted.
Did his mother tell him this? Not nice. ...
John Cox: Who?
By Ryan Sager | Sat, 11 Aug 2007 at 2:41 PM | Permalink
Excerpt: He's speaking. They played a YouTube video of his before he came on. It tries to tie 9/11 to illegal immigrants: ...
Tancredo Talks Tough
By Ryan Sager | Sat, 11 Aug 2007 at 2:33 PM | Permalink
Excerpt: Rep. Tom Tancredo just finished. I tell you, nothing bothers a Tancredo supporter more than having to "Dial 1" for English.
This, apparently, is very tricky.
The other big theme of the Tancredo talk: America is persecuting Christians while coddling ...
Romney: A Button on Every Computer
By Ryan Sager | Sat, 11 Aug 2007 at 2:12 PM | Permalink
Excerpt: The candidates are speaking now...
Mitt Romney says he wants "a button on every computer" for parents to block obscenity. He also said he wants to start enforcing the nation's obscenity laws.
Apparently, a crackdown on the First Amendment is expected ...
Other Quick Ames Thoughts...
By Ryan Sager | Sat, 11 Aug 2007 at 2:05 PM | Permalink
Excerpt: Just some quick hits:
* Again, the most notable thing to attendees is the Ron Paul presence. To quote one woman I passed: "Boy, the Ron Paul folk have sure gone all out."
* I've heard numerous reports of Mitt Romney buses pulling in half full (or, uh, ...
Ames: The Ron Paul Question
By Ryan Sager | Sat, 11 Aug 2007 at 1:29 PM | Permalink
Excerpt: Well, I think I answered my Ron Paul question after battling the sun for about an hour... Out of staters, overwhelmingly. I went to talk to the five Ron Paul folks holding a big poster outside the entrance. 0-5. Not one from Iowa. They'd driven in from ...
Welcome to Ames, Ron Paul Country
By Ryan Sager | Sat, 11 Aug 2007 at 12:14 PM | Permalink
Excerpt: Just got to the Ames Straw Poll after many mishaps...
The first thing a visitor notices: the Ron Paul presence. I predicted he'd come in 7th in the poll. But the first thing you see when you get here is countless Ron Paul signs and Ron Paul workers. ...
LP GOP Index: McCain's Fall, Fred's Rise
By Ryan Sager | Sat, 11 Aug 2007 at 6:58 AM | Permalink
Excerpt: I've now got an updated index of the GOP national polls for July and a preliminary data point for August. You can see the graph below the fold, but in the meantime here are some of the interesting trends:
* Giuliani: His national numbers hit bottom in ...
Good Morning, Ames!
By Ryan Sager | Sat, 11 Aug 2007 at 6:55 AM | Permalink
Excerpt: Well, OK, I'm still in Chicago, waiting for an early flight ... but here's one headline from this morning: Iowa's governor insists the state's caucuses will remain in January of 2008, not slide to December 2007 to keep up with changes in South Carolina ...
Ames: Don't Stop Believin'
By Ryan Sager | Fri, 10 Aug 2007 at 9:24 PM | Permalink
Excerpt: I love flight delays. There's something about an airport bar that just makes me content. (Aside from the obvious.)
Anyway, I should be on time for Ames, but I've got some serious time to burn in La Guardia and an unfortunate stopover in Chicago ...
My Ames Predictions
By Ryan Sager | Fri, 10 Aug 2007 at 6:25 PM | Permalink
Excerpt: So, I'm in a cab on the way to a plane to another plane to a rental car to Ames, Iowa, and the Ames Straw Poll. What better time to offer some seat-of-the-pants predictions? (If I'm off, I'll claim that you can't trust predictions from a guy writing from ...
Political Video of the Day: Richardson Swings and Misses
By Ryan Sager | Fri, 10 Aug 2007 at 3:27 PM | Permalink
Excerpt: In this clip from last night's gay-issues forum, Bill Richardson seems to misunderstand a question about whether gayness is a choice:
Richardson's campaign later issued a statement clarifying his position. ...
AP: The Current Calendar
By Ryan Sager | Fri, 10 Aug 2007 at 3:22 PM | Permalink
Excerpt: The AP runs this current primary calendar note, though, that New Hampshire's and Iowa's dates are very much in play:
JANUARY
Jan 14: Iowa caucuses
Jan 19: Nevada caucuses, South Carolina GOP
Jan. 22: New Hampshire; Wyoming GOP caucuses
Jan. 29: ...
An interesting theory...
By Ryan Sager | Fri, 10 Aug 2007 at 3:11 PM | Permalink
Excerpt: ...on why Mitt Romney is attacking Rudy Giuliani right now on immigration. ...
Fred: No To Temporary Taxes
By Ryan Sager | Fri, 10 Aug 2007 at 2:53 PM | Permalink
Excerpt: Over at his campaign blog, Fred Thompson weighs in on the gas tax: Whoa now. Let's hold our horses a minute and think about the calls for new tax increases to fix our infrastructure problems. The Minneapolis bridge collapse is a tragedy, but we can't let ...
Iowa: The Expectations Game
By Ryan Sager | Fri, 10 Aug 2007 at 2:36 PM | Permalink
Excerpt: In my column this morning, I gave a roundup of what we can and cannot expect from the Ames Straw Poll tomorrow (can: some candidates will be knocked out / cannot: who's most likely to win the GOP primary).
Well, today the expectations game continues... ...
LGBT Forum Thoughts
By Ryan Sager | Fri, 10 Aug 2007 at 12:18 AM | Permalink
Excerpt: Just a few thoughts on the just-concluded, first ever, gay-issues forum held by the Democrats this evening in Los Angeles. (My liveblog of the forum is here.)
First off, various press accounts had called the Logo event, co-sponsored by Human Rights ...
The Gay Debate
By Ryan Sager | Thu, 9 Aug 2007 at 8:55 PM | Permalink
Excerpt: Stay tuned here for some liveblogging of the first-ever gay-issues debate, being held by the Democrats in Los Angeles and carried on the LOGO network... [You can watch live on the Logo Web site here.]
9:01: Margaret Carlson is moderating. She has a ...
Campaign Schedules
By Ryan Sager | Thu, 9 Aug 2007 at 5:02 PM | Permalink
Excerpt: An odd press release from the Thompson non-campaign about today's announced primary schedule shift:
Thompson Committee Unconcerned by Primary Schedule
McLean, Va.The Friends of Fred Thompson testing the waters committee said it was unconcerned by the ...
Fargo
By Ryan Sager | Thu, 9 Aug 2007 at 3:05 PM | Permalink
Excerpt: Rudy Giuliani's campaign is opening a headquarters in North Dakota (nickname: the Nothing State): The Rudy Giuliani Presidential Committee announced today that the campaign will open its North Dakota state headquarters on Friday, August 10th at 10:00 AM ...
'Didn't Seem Possible'
By Ryan Sager | Thu, 9 Aug 2007 at 2:20 PM | Permalink
Excerpt: Longtime Rudy Giuliani skeptic Charlie Cook starts to come around to the conclusion that maybe just maybe the longtime Republican frontrunner has a chance at the nomination:
"McCain's decline has afforded Giuliani an opportunity to stabilize and ...
Political Video of the Day: McCain's Misinformation
By Ryan Sager | Thu, 9 Aug 2007 at 12:43 PM | Permalink
Excerpt: In this "Today Show" clip, John McCain claims he never intended to compete in the Straw Poll:
That, however, is not what his campaign said when it launched its Iowa leadership team a while back: "The influential state leadership team will continue ...
Demonomics
By Ryan Sager | Thu, 9 Aug 2007 at 12:22 PM | Permalink
Excerpt: There was some weird economics on display in Tuesday night's Democratic debate no surprise, as it was sponsored by organized labor. Labor wants a lot of things that are economically backward and destructive to anyone other than their members (and most ...
Tommy Thompson Drops Out of Race
By Ryan Sager | Thu, 9 Aug 2007 at 10:41 AM | Permalink
Excerpt: Well, all but... This is from a blast email from his campaign: "Tommy Thompson has made it clear that if he doesn't finish first or second this week in Ames, Iowa at the straw poll, he will not go on in this race." Another one bites the dust. ...
University of Iowa Poll: Romney Up; Giuliani, McCain Way Down
By Ryan Sager | Thu, 9 Aug 2007 at 12:56 AM | Permalink
Excerpt: The University of Iowa last polled in late March. Here are their results on the eve of the Iowa Straw Poll (with the change since late March in parentheses, when available):
Romney: 27% (+10) Giuliani: 11% (-9) Thompson: 7% Brownback: 4% Tancredo: 4% ...
South Carolina: January 19
By Ryan Sager | Wed, 8 Aug 2007 at 9:15 PM | Permalink
Excerpt: South Carolina's "The State" reports that the Republican primary there will be moved to January 19.
By law, New Hampshire's primary has to be a week before any similar contest meaning it could take place January 12 at the latest. But that's a ...
The Primary Shuffle
By Ryan Sager | Wed, 8 Aug 2007 at 5:00 PM | Permalink
Excerpt: Tomorrow, South Carolina Republican Party Chairman Katon Dawson is expected to announce that he is moving the party's primary date (currently set for February 2) up ahead of Florida's scheduled date of January 29.
Mr. Dawson will make the announcement ...
A Memo from 1994...
By Ryan Sager | Wed, 8 Aug 2007 at 4:39 PM | Permalink
Excerpt: ...details the Tennessee Christian Coalition's concerns about Fred Thompson. ...
McCain: A New Campaign Chairman
By Ryan Sager | Wed, 8 Aug 2007 at 4:33 PM | Permalink
Excerpt: According to the WSJ:
Arizona Sen. John McCain, continuing to try to jumpstart his indebted presidential campaign, will name renowned Republican fund-raiser Robert Mosbacher Sr. as campaign chairman, according to a prominent Republican.
The wealthy ...
Political Video of the Day: Operation Romney Election
By Ryan Sager | Wed, 8 Aug 2007 at 3:24 PM | Permalink
Excerpt: Mitt Romney says his sons may not be in Iraq, but they're serving their country in another way: by trying to get him elected:
Transcript:
Question: "Hi, my name's Rachel Griffiths, thank you so much for being here and asking for our comments. And I ...
The Gay Debate
By Ryan Sager | Wed, 8 Aug 2007 at 11:35 AM | Permalink
Excerpt: You may have missed they probably want you to that the Democratic candidates will be heading out to Los Angeles tomorrow night (Thursday, August 9) to participate in the first-ever presidential debate devoted solely to "gay, lesbian, bisexual and ...
Straw Poll Fever
By Ryan Sager | Wed, 8 Aug 2007 at 11:03 AM | Permalink
Excerpt: The Iowa straw poll set for this Saturday is looking to be a bit less lustrous an affair than usual this year. With Mitt Romney as the lone representative of the top tier, what constitutes victory, and for whom is it a make-or-break event?
Well, ...
Thompson Gets New Non-Campaign Manager
By Ryan Sager | Wed, 8 Aug 2007 at 10:23 AM | Permalink
Excerpt: The Thompson non-campaign sent out this notice this morning:
Washington, D.C.Former Reagan White House political aide Bill Lacy today was named manager of Fred Thompson's testing the waters committee. "Bill Lacy worked in the campaigns of President ...
Quinnipiac: Hillary Inches Up in Swing States
By Ryan Sager | Wed, 8 Aug 2007 at 10:01 AM | Permalink
Excerpt: Here's the newsflash from Quinnipiac's latest swing-state poll, released this morning:
"New York Sen. Hillary Clinton has inched ahead of her top Republican foe, former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani in Florida and Pennsylvania, and ties Giuliani ...
The AFL-CIO Democratic Debate
By Ryan Sager | Tue, 7 Aug 2007 at 7:07 PM | Permalink
Excerpt: The Democrats are debating tonight in Chicago, at a forum sponsored by the AFL-CIO and broadcast by MSNBC:
7:03: Senators Dodd and Clinton give shout outs to the trapped miners in Utah. Remember, this is a labor forum.
7:05: Apparently infrastructure ...
Giuliani on McCain-Feingold: 'it was a mistake'
By Ryan Sager | Tue, 7 Aug 2007 at 3:32 PM | Permalink
Excerpt: The Giuliani campaign has now provided the rest of Rudy Giuliani's answer when he was asked whether he would roll back McCain-Feingold as president. Short answer: He would.
Longer answer: I supported McCain-Feingold. I wasn't a big player in it because ...
Thompson Keeps on Bloggin'
By Ryan Sager | Tue, 7 Aug 2007 at 3:16 PM | Permalink
Excerpt: Fred Thompson takes to his campaign blog today to extol the virtues of the Bush economy:
Lower tax rates have increased economic growth to such a degree that we have been breaking tax-revenue records.
Since the spring of 2003, the economy has had ...
The Gallup Rule
By Ryan Sager | Tue, 7 Aug 2007 at 2:41 PM | Permalink
Excerpt: I don't know the rule Rich Lowry is referencing, but here's what he has to say: Giuliani & Gallup [Rich Lowry] I forget the exact rule, but I believe in recent memory pretty much every Republican leading in the Gallup poll a year out from the convention ...
Giuliani Endorses Giuliani
By Ryan Sager | Tue, 7 Aug 2007 at 1:42 PM | Permalink
Excerpt: Not usually a surprising headline, but it is these days. ...
Hot Senate September
By Ryan Sager | Tue, 7 Aug 2007 at 1:37 PM | Permalink
Excerpt: The Washington Post's Chris Cillizza has a roundup of all the hot Senate race action set for September:
Laboring through the doldrums of August? Just remember, we're only three weeks away from what is shaping up as the most pivotal month of the cycle ...
Political Video of the Day: Rudy: McCain Would Be My Guy
By Ryan Sager | Tue, 7 Aug 2007 at 1:26 PM | Permalink
Excerpt: Perhaps this should go under McCain Death Watch, since other candidates don't tend to condescend to you this much unless you're on your way out. Also, I'm trying to track down if Rudy Giuliani ever answered the question as to whether he would roll back ...
USA Today/Gallup: All Steady
By Ryan Sager | Tue, 7 Aug 2007 at 10:54 AM | Permalink
Excerpt: A new USA Today/Gallup poll out today shows everything holding pretty much steady in the Republican primary (change compared to last poll in July in parentheses):
Giuliani: 30% (0) Thompson: 19% (-1) McCain: 14% (-2) Romney: 6% (-2)
On the Democratic ...
Survey USA: Rudy Running Away With California
By Ryan Sager | Tue, 7 Aug 2007 at 12:03 AM | Permalink
Excerpt: A new poll out from Survey USA shows Rudy Giuliani running away with California, with double the support of his nearest rival, Fred Thompson:
Giuliani: 39% Thompson: 19% McCain: 16% Romney: 10%
(via Taegan Goddard)
Some key findings after the jump... ...
McCain Death Watch: Greyhound Edition
By Ryan Sager | Tue, 7 Aug 2007 at 12:01 AM | Permalink
Excerpt: The Onion News Service reports:
DES MOINES, IACiting a series of unanticipated disruptions to the Greyhound bus service, a red-faced and breathless Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) arrived 50 minutes after the start of the Republican presidential debates Sunday ...
Political Video of the Day II: Brownback to the Future
By Ryan Sager | Mon, 6 Aug 2007 at 11:36 PM | Permalink
Excerpt: Earlier today, I mentioned how good and well-produced Fred Thompson's Web videos are. For an example of the opposite shoddy production, stilted delivery take a look at this video from Senator Brownback of Kansas attacking Mitt Romney: ...
Thompson Campaign: Thompson Just Like George W.
By Ryan Sager | Mon, 6 Aug 2007 at 8:33 PM | Permalink
Excerpt: Fred Thompson's new non-campaign bio a feature of I'm With Fred dot com 2.0 is a fascinating read, inasmuch as it provides insight into how the non-candidate will seek to shape his narrative, turning weaknesses into strengths and smoothing over the ...
I'm With Fred 2.0
By Ryan Sager | Mon, 6 Aug 2007 at 7:39 PM | Permalink
Excerpt: I'm With Fred dot com has announced a redesign.
I've got to say it's rather spiffy. (Yes, spiffy.) New features include:
Fred Thompson newsroom Fred Thompson bio information Fred Thompson discussing issues
A downloads page for widgets, buttons, and ...
Newsweek Poll: Rudy Up, Fred Up, McCain Down
By Ryan Sager | Mon, 6 Aug 2007 at 4:05 PM | Permalink
Excerpt: The latest Newsweek poll (with change from late June in parentheses):
Giuliani: 30% (+3) Thompson: 22% (+3) McCain: 13% (-2) Romney: 10% (-2)
Of course, all the changes are pretty much within the margin of error. ...
Not the Winner: Fred Thompson
By Ryan Sager | Mon, 6 Aug 2007 at 2:53 PM | Permalink
Excerpt: RCP's Tom Bevan notes this about the coverage of yesterday's Republican debate: "Noticeably absent from the post debate analysis at yesterday's GOP gathering in Iowa was the phrase 'Fred Thompson was the debate's big winner.' It could be a small sign the ...
Leftwing Bloggers vs. Giuliani
By Ryan Sager | Mon, 6 Aug 2007 at 2:35 PM | Permalink
Excerpt: Rudy Giuliani has long been blessed by his enemies while some people may not like everything about him, the "right" people attack him, making it seem to conservatives that, whatever issue disagreements they might have with him, at least he's on "our ...
Family Matters
By Ryan Sager | Mon, 6 Aug 2007 at 1:11 PM | Permalink
Excerpt: Is Caroline Giuliani, daughter of Rudy, supporting Barack Obama?
Slate's got her belonging to the Facebook group "Barack Obama (One Million Strong for Barack)" at least until Slate made an inquiry this morning. ...
McCain: Sorry about the First, but what about the Fifth?
By Ryan Sager | Mon, 6 Aug 2007 at 10:57 AM | Permalink
Excerpt: Having made his mark on Washington, D.C. and forever alienated conservatives by trampling on the First Amendment, John McCain is seeing now if he can make it up to the Republican base by promising to restore the Fifth Amendment.
The Fifth Amendment, ...
Political Video of the Day: Gays for Giuliani
By Ryan Sager | Mon, 6 Aug 2007 at 10:51 AM | Permalink
Excerpt: The following popped up in my inbox this morning:
Hello,
I'm a gay New York City resident who lived here while Rudy was Mayor. I appreciated his support of my community when he was mayor and am shocked and offended by his flip-flopping on gay issues. ...
GOP Debate Commentary Roundup
By Ryan Sager | Sun, 5 Aug 2007 at 11:41 PM | Permalink
Excerpt: ABC News is here.
The Times is here.
USA Today is here.
And last, but certainly not least, is the Sun's own Russell Berman:
In a debate broadcast on ABC's "This Week" yesterday from Des Moines, Iowa, Senator Obama of Illinois emerged as the favored ...
Rudi and Judi: It Was Macanudo
By Ryan Sager | Sun, 5 Aug 2007 at 11:27 PM | Permalink
Excerpt: Rudy Giuliani and Judith Nathan have finally decided to disclose where they met: Club Macanudo, a cigar bar on Manhattan's Upper East Side.
According to the Web site:
The couple apparently discloses this in an interview to be published in tomorrow's ...
Rudy Boost in Florida
By Ryan Sager | Sun, 5 Aug 2007 at 11:24 PM | Permalink
Excerpt: According to the Tampa Tribune, former Florida governor Bob Martinez is expected to endorse Rudy Giuliani tomorrow. Says the local paper:
The Giuliani campaign has timed its announcement to steal some thunder from one of Giuliani's main competitors, ...
The So-Called Liberal Media
By Ryan Sager | Sun, 5 Aug 2007 at 10:34 PM | Permalink
Excerpt: I don't do a lot of complaining about the liberal media, but if this quote is accurate, it's really quite something:
"I covered those confirmation hearings. I went home at night in tears. It was awful."
-- Dahlia Lithwick, Slate.com's Supreme Court ...
Washington Post/ABC News: Romney Up in Iowa
By Ryan Sager | Sun, 5 Aug 2007 at 10:19 PM | Permalink
Excerpt: According to the most recent Washington Post/ABC News poll, released on the eve of the Iowa debate on "This Week," Mitt Romney is way up in Iowa, with Rudy Giuliani and Fred Thompson tied for second:
Romney: 26% Giuliani: 14% Thompson: 13% McCain: 8% ...
Political Video of the Day: Rudy on His Mistakes
By Ryan Sager | Sun, 5 Aug 2007 at 10:15 PM | Permalink
Excerpt: From today's Iowa debate on ABC's "This Week," Rudy Giuliani reflects on his mistakes (the Giuliani folks apparently think this was a good one, as they've posted it on YouTube themselves): ...
Hillary Adjusts
By Ryan Sager | Sat, 4 Aug 2007 at 12:11 AM | Permalink
Excerpt: I noted earlier in the day a report of boos when it was announced at YearlyKos that Hillary Clinton would not attend a breakout session after a breakfast forum with the presidential candidates. (She has fundraising to do in the Hamptons this weekend.) ...
Another YearlyKos Dispatch
By Ryan Sager | Fri, 3 Aug 2007 at 5:28 PM | Permalink
Excerpt: This one, from Garance Franke-Ruta, says that YearlyKos has gone establishment: [T]his conference does not feel as grassroots or exciting as last year's. It feels like a cross between the annual Institute for Politics, Democracy, and the Internet ...
YearlyKos and the Military
By Ryan Sager | Fri, 3 Aug 2007 at 3:36 PM | Permalink
Excerpt: A soldier tried to view a dissenting viewpoint at YearlyKos (that the surge was working) and was immediately shut down by the panel's moderator. Sometimes LP columnist Ezra Klein gives an account:
AN ODD CLOSE. As the Military and Progressives panel ...
Muzzling Murdoch
By Ryan Sager | Fri, 3 Aug 2007 at 11:08 AM | Permalink
Excerpt: I've got a column this morning on the Democrats' fussing over the Rupert Murdoch / Wall Street Journal deal:
John Edwards has a problem with Rupert Murdoch, so he wants Mr. Murdoch to have a problem with the Federal Communications Commission as he ...
'Kennedy's Mistake'
By Ryan Sager | Fri, 3 Aug 2007 at 10:57 AM | Permalink
Excerpt: In the Washington Post, former Bush speechwriter (and now Washington Post columnist) Michael Gerson makes an argument as to how Mitt Romney should deal with his Mormonism in the presidential campaign: Romney, however, should not make Kennedy's mistake ...
70% Want Independent Bid
By Ryan Sager | Fri, 3 Aug 2007 at 10:46 AM | Permalink
Excerpt: According to the WSJ:
Some 53% back the idea of building a third party to mount presidential candidacy. Support is strongest among men, those younger than 50, professionals and Northeasterners.
Seven of 10 say an independent would enhance the ...
Clinton-Edwards-Obama Three Way
By Ryan Sager | Fri, 3 Aug 2007 at 10:42 AM | Permalink
Excerpt: A new Washington Post-ABC News poll has the Democratic candidates tied in Iowa. ...
New Pew Poll
By Ryan Sager | Fri, 3 Aug 2007 at 10:22 AM | Permalink
Excerpt: There's a new Pew poll out:
(change from last Pew poll in April in parentheses)
Republicans Giuliani: 27% (-5) Thompson: 18% (+8) McCain: 16% (-7) Romney: 10% (+2)
Democrats Clinton: 40% (+6) Obama: 21% (-3) Edwards: 11% (-7)Taking a look at the ...
Charles Krauthammer Rises ...
By Ryan Sager | Fri, 3 Aug 2007 at 10:17 AM | Permalink
Excerpt: ... in defense of drunk astronauts. ...
Hillary Booed at YearlyKos
By Ryan Sager | Fri, 3 Aug 2007 at 10:10 AM | Permalink
Excerpt: ... as a conference official announces she won't attend a "breakout session" on Saturday shel'll be sending an aide instead.
Why the absence? Well, she's got some fundraising to do in the Hamptons. ...
Political Video of the Day: Club for Growth: 'We Hate Huckabee'
By Ryan Sager | Thu, 2 Aug 2007 at 9:33 PM | Permalink
Excerpt: The Club for Growth presumable Rudy Giuliani supporters do not like Mike Huckabee. Thus, they're spending $85,000 on ads in Iowa right now (running all week on broadcast and cable) trying to knock the former Arkansas governor out of the race in the ...
McCain Death Watch: Bob Dole Edition
By Ryan Sager | Thu, 2 Aug 2007 at 3:19 PM | Permalink
Excerpt: According to the Iowa Independent blog: Bob Dole always had a lot of nice things to say about fellow veteran John McCain. He even went so far, in May 1999, to publicly say he'd consider donating to McCain's campaign. This was while his own wife, ...
McCain Blogger Call
By Ryan Sager | Thu, 2 Aug 2007 at 1:58 PM | Permalink
Excerpt: At 2 p.m. today, John McCain held his latest blogger conference call.
The top of the agenda was attacking the Senate Democrats for their ethics bill, which Mr. McCain says he deems a pretty weak brew.
But, he also hit some other topics.
Perhaps the ...
NBC/WSJ: Rudy Up
By Ryan Sager | Thu, 2 Aug 2007 at 10:26 AM | Permalink
Excerpt: The latest WSJ/NBC poll's results on the Republican side show Rudy Giuliani up, with his lead over Fred Thompson a bit bigger than it was in June:
Giuliani: 33% Thompson: 20% McCain: 17% Romney: 11%
Mr. Giuliani's lead over Mr. Thompson was 9 points in ...
NBC/WSJ: Clinton Up
By Ryan Sager | Wed, 1 Aug 2007 at 5:41 PM | Permalink
Excerpt: Here's the latest NBC/WSJ poll (PDF), with data on the Democratic race and some general-election match-ups (difference from last poll in June in parentheses):
Clinton: 43% (+4) Obama: 22% (-3) Edwards: 13% (-2) Richardson 6%: (+2)
General Election ...
Thompson Campaign Corrects
By Ryan Sager | Wed, 1 Aug 2007 at 3:04 PM | Permalink
Excerpt: On Monday, the Fred Thompson campaign defended its lackluster June fundraising in part by noting that: "One month ago, the DNC attacked Thompson (in the Politico) for potentially raising more money than he'd need for the exploratory period."
The only ...
Hillary's Secret Weapon: Dick Cheney
By Ryan Sager | Wed, 1 Aug 2007 at 1:29 PM | Permalink
Excerpt: Hillary Clinton has sent out an appeal to her Internet supporters with Dick Cheney as the bait.
Specifically, she's attacking the vice president for saying that asking the Pentagon for a plan for withdrawing U.S. troops from Iraq "reinforces enemy ...
Yet More Thompson Donors
By Ryan Sager | Wed, 1 Aug 2007 at 12:23 PM | Permalink
Excerpt: The Internet's great for this stuff... Here's the Washington Post's blog with a few more interesting tidbits from the Thompson filing:
* Roughly half of Fred Thompson's cash came from Tennessee.
* McCain finance chairman Fred Malek's wife, Marlene, is ...
More Thompson Donors
By Ryan Sager | Wed, 1 Aug 2007 at 9:08 AM | Permalink
Excerpt: Byron York notes some more Thompson donors (I've bolded the ones I haven't mentioned yet): A few names you might know from the newly-released list of Fred Thompson's early donors include some people who are working with the campaign: pollster John ...
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