Thoughts on thoughts and news from around the Web.
ABC NEWS should have absolutely found someone else other than former Bill Clinton press secretary George Stephanopoulos to moderate and ask questions of Hillary Clinton on Sunday. Barack Obama and John McCain were also invited, and though it’s not directly accurate to say they refused, they’re not […]
May 3, 2008
March 7, 2008
John McCain has an interesting choice to make as to who should be his vice presidential running mate. In the most basic of terms the considerations are wide. It’s not even clear the so-called “Maverick” would pick a Republican, though it would be a pretty craven Democrat who would accept his request. What’s that, Joe Lieberman?
A woman? Someone in a wheelchair? A general?
How about Colin Powell? Woah, that one is worth a long, considering pause isn’t it?
Regionally does it matter? Likely not another southwest presence but what about Arnold Schwarzenegger to help drag California to his side? I think it is technically constitutionally legal for a naturalized American to be vice president. National media would shine the biggest spotlight on this campaign.
Laura Ingraham? McCain likes the blondes.
Would he want to strengthen his hawkish (to put it mildly) positions or push someone who would balance where he is perceived as weak.
Does he accept that he is not conservative enough and that being more conservative would actually help with the general electorate?
Would he bring Jonah Goldberg aboard so the right-leaning blogosphere would finally come aboard?
Michael Bloomberg is a serious consideration. What say you?
March 5, 2008
With his own confetti strewn picture atop his Web site, Independent candidate Ralph Nader wants people to not only listen to his views but to vote for him and send him money to become the 44th President of America.
Currently there sure do seem to be a lot of potential defectors from the Democratic Party if their preferred candidate doesn’t get the nomination. From the right, it’s hard to think Nader’s anti-corporate stance - not a bad thing - will draw many Republican defectors unhappy with John McCain. After all, they don’t like him because of McCain-Feingold’s attempted stripping of money power from corporations. McCain isn’t right enough.
Nader lays down 12 major issues he says are “off the table” of the other candidates. They are:
• Adopt single payer national health insurance
• Cut the huge, bloated, wasteful military budget
• No to nuclear power, solar energy first
• Aggressive crackdown on corporate crime and corporate welfare
• Open up the Presidential debates
• Adopt a carbon pollution tax
• Reverse U.S. policy in the Middle East
• Impeach Bush/Cheney
• Repeal the Taft-Hartley anti-union law
• Adopt a Wall Street securities speculation tax
• Put an end to ballot access obstructionism
• Work to end corporate personhood
Here Nader makes the pitch why he’s a better choice than McCain or Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton:
March 4, 2008
After a sweep of the states tonight, In what was a fairly substantial - and conservative speech - John McCain accepts the Republican nomination for the 2008 presidential race. This is a big deal for McCain who has been trying for so long.
Because he wrapped up the campaign, in all but math weeks ago, this speech has been prepared for a while.
In Austin, Texas, speech below:
February 5, 2008
Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton both made it clear they are serious contenders for the Democratic race, and they both likely personally earned each other’s respect tonight.
Mitt Romney, though he has pledged to go on, had a dismal day, where Mike Huckabee earned more delegates. John McCain should easily make the nomination for Republican primary candidate, excluding a possible revolt of delegates at the Republican convention.
States won:
Obama:Alabama, Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, North Dakota, Utah (totaling approx. 137 delegates tonight, 306 tally so far)***
Clinton: Arizona, Arkansas, California, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oklahoma, Tennessee (totaling approx. 130 delegates tonight, 371 tally so far)***
John McCain: Arizona, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, New Jersey, New York, Oklahoma (won 363 delegates tonight, 474 tally so far)
Mike Huckabee: Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Tennessee, West Virginia (won 76 delegates tonight, 105 tally so far)
Mitt Romney: Colorado, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Montana, North Dakota, Utah (won 57 delegates tonight, 151 tally so far)
*** NOTE: The final winning margins in the Democratic results will show how the delegates will split for the candidates, so these are approximate numbers so far, without the final vote counts in the counties and congressional districts.
Mike Huckabee takes an early headline in winning the Republican West Virginia closed convention, with 52 percent of that vote. Mitt Romney came in second with 47 percent.
Ron Paul was removed from the listing after failing to secure 15 percent of the vote. Supporters of John McCain threw their support behind Huckabaee after getting just 15 percent of the vote in the first round, according to the Herald-Dispatch in Huntington, WV. All but McCain were actually there to speak on their own behalf.
Romney led after the first round and his campaign did not appreciate the “backroom deal,” one Huckabee’s campaign said didn’t happen.
“Unfortunately, this is what Senator McCain’s inside Washington ways look like,” said Romney for President Campaign Manager Beth Myers. “He cut a backroom deal with the tax-and-spend candidate he thought could best stop Governor Romney’s campaign of conservative change.
“Governor Romney had enough respect for the Republican voters of West Virginia to make an appeal to them about the future of the party based on issues. This is why he led on today’s first ballot. Sadly, Senator McCain cut a Washington backroom deal in a way that once again underscores his legacy of working against Republicans who are interested in championing conservative policies and rebuilding the party.”
Former Arkansas Gov. Huckabee will take perhaps his only victory of the day in earning the state’s 18 delegates.
The Democratic Primary in the state is May 13.
December 4, 2007
A month from now, on January 3 Iowa is the first occasion voters get to mark their preference for the next leader of the United States. Five months later on June 3, Montana, South Dakota, New Mexico (for Republicans close out the hunting season.
That’s first date is a month away, and that date,unfortunately marks the gunshot start of a race to the bottom of the rhetorical barrel.
Who can possibly disagree?
It would be nice if there was more hope for an intelligent discussion about the future of the country. Instead, it’s not only going to be horrible it’s going to be embarassing to all thinking people in the country. The usual suspects will enjoy all kinds of gotcha and on the other side we’ll all feel a little stupider.
But, the winner and his or her supporters will feel great. Can we the people really have hope that this country’s politicians solve anything rather than just tread water to do the bare minimum of care and due dilegence?
The National Association of Secretaries of State actually has a decent plan to hold four regional primary election days in the first weeks of March, April May & June.
Maybe that will come to pass in 2009. Meanwhile, Feb. 5 is when the fit hits the shan as 23 states hold primaries, 20 for both parties. Iowa and Kansas, this year, are holding caucuses. Hawaii Republicans are choosing delegates during the first week of February.
Several other, local and congressional primary elections will take place the same days. More on that at PolState.com later.
JANUARY - 13 primary elections in 7 states:
Jan. 3 Iowa (caucus) - R & D
Jan. 5 Wyoming - R only
Jan. 8 New Hamshire - R & D
Jan. 15 Michigan - R & D
Jan. 19 Nevada - R & D
Jan. 19 South Carolina - R only
Jan. 26 South Carolina - D only
Jan. 29 Florida - R & D
FEBRUARY - 57 primary elections in 30 states:
Feb. 1: Maine - R only
Feb. 5: Alabama - R & D
Feb. 5: Alaska - R & D
Feb. 5: Arizona - R & D
Feb. 5: Arkansas - R & D
Feb. 5: California - R & D
Feb. 5: Colorado - R & D
Feb. 5: Connecticut - R & D
Feb. 5: Delaware - R & D
Feb. 5: Georgia - R & D
Feb. 5: Idaho - D only
Feb. 5: Illinois - R & D
Feb. 5: Kansas - D only
Feb. 5: Massachusetts - R & D
Feb. 5: Minnesota - R & D
Feb. 5: Missouri - R & D
Feb. 5: New Jersey - R & D
Feb. 5: New Mexico - D only
Feb. 5: New York - R & D
Feb. 5: North Dakota - R & D
Feb. 5: Oklahoma - R & D
Feb. 5: Tennessee - R & D
Feb. 5: Utah - R & D
Feb. 9: Kansas - R only
Feb. 9: Louisiana - R & D
Feb. 10: Maine - D only
Feb. 12: D.C. - R & D
Feb. 12: Maryland - R & D
Feb. 12: Virginia - R & D
Feb. 19: Hawaii - D only
Feb. 19: Washington - R & D
Feb. 19: Wisconsin - R & D
- and the rest who were sane enough not to care because it’s a primary and they’ll likely get the candidates who have a chance of winning, anyway.
MARCH - 11 primary elections in 6 states:
Mar. 4: Ohio - R & D
Mar. 4: Rhode Island - R & D
Mar. 4: Texas - R & D
Mar. 4: Vermont - R & D
Mar. 8: Wyoming - D only
Mar. 11: Mississippi - R & D
APRIL - 2 primary elections in 1 states:
Apr. 22: Pennsylvania - R & D
MAY - 13 primary elections in 7 states:
May 6: Indiana - R & D
May 6: North Carolina - R & D
May 13: Nebraska - R & D
May 13: West Virginia - R & D
May 20: Kentucky - R & D
May 20: Oregon - R & D
May 27: Idaho - R only
JUNE - 5 primary elections in 3 states:
Jun. 3: Montana - R & D
Jun. 3: South Dakota - R & D
Jun. 3: New Mexico - R only
New Mexico’s Republican primary has the distinction of being the last primary poll to close for the season.
Then when all that’s over, the uselessness of the conventions where scripts are read and very poor theater is played out on garish stages:
Democratic Party, Aug 25-28 in Denver
Republican Party, Sept. 1-4 in Minneapolis-St. Paul
-
PSR Site Notes
- Dedicated to State News, Straight Up. Political State Report is brought to you by Temple Stark. For guidelines on becoming a regular contributor go here.
- Recent Comments
- Links Resources
- RSS - Syndicate Us
Advertise on the Government Relations Blog Network
The Blogroll