Year: 2008

Poll: Congressional Insiders Say Obama Would Do Better Against McCain

Buck Banks

In its weekly survey of inside the Beltway types, National Journal’s Polltrack posed the following question:

Which Democratic presidential candidate would do better against John McCain in November?

Democrats (41 votes)
Hillary Rodham Clinton 41 percent
Barack Obama 54 percent
No difference (volunteered) 5 percent

Clinton
“She has the experience and knowledge to be the stronger candidate in the general election. She’s battle-tested and will be prepared for a tough fight against Sen. McCain.”

“Only because I believe that she is better equipped to take the Republican crap and give it right back. Sen. Obama has all the attributes that we know about, but he has not dealt with Karl Rove yet. (Oh, yes, [Rove] will be around in the fall. You can bet on that.)”

“I hope he won’t be bitter for my saying it, but HRC is the better candidate.”

Obama
“November will be all about voter turnout. Barack will be a tidal wave.”

“Change versus Stay the Course in the ultimate change cycle.”

“Obama has shown constant growth as a candidate in every respect. And he is too gifted not to master the art of connection to working-class voters before November. In addition, the ticking time bomb on a Clinton nomination would be the bundle of unseemly donors tied to the Clinton Foundation. By October [if Clinton was the nominee], the superdelegates would be wondering what on earth they were thinking.”

No difference
“Either Democratic nominee will do just fine, because Sen. John McCain is a Bush-Cheney third term: a failing war, a failing economy and the failure to address issues hurting the American people, from health care to global warming to bailing out Wall Street while foreclosing on Main Street.”

“Both Sen. Clinton and Sen. Obama have records and platforms that offer a clear, stark contrast with Sen. McCain, who has tied himself closely to President Bush’s war in Iraq and his disastrous economic policies.”

Republicans (40 votes)
Hillary Rodham Clinton 53 percent
Barack Obama 45 percent
No difference (volunteered) 3 percent

Clinton
“Obama’s suddenly become a politician, and a bitter one at that! Obama may be great someday, but this year his résumé is too light and his rhetoric too vapid to fool the American people.”

“In isolation, Obama’s comments, his wife’s comments and Rev. [Jeremiah] Wright’s comments could perhaps be forgiven. When seen together, however, they create a pattern that is leading more and more Americans to ask: ‘Who is this guy? And, what does he really believe?’ ”

“This has changed as Obama looks more like [Michael] Dukakis than [John F.] Kennedy.”

“Clinton is a stronger general election candidate than Obama. He is further to the left than Clinton, less experienced than Clinton and has no significant accomplishments that stamp him as presidential. Moreover, he is a very unlikely commander-in-chief at a time of war. An Obama candidacy will give McCain an opening among white women, seniors, working Democrats, and Hispanics … If the Democrats nominate Obama, they will have a bad case of buyer’s remorse in the fall … Democrats would rather choose the devil they don’t know than the devil they do.”

Obama
“Both Democrats have serious weaknesses in a McCain matchup, but Hillary has decades of negatives that will be difficult to overcome.”

“Sen. Clinton is certainly battle-tested and has a familiarity with Republican-style tactics, as she employs them herself. That being said, sometimes the events shape the debate more than the candidates do. There is a clear mandate for change and disenchantment with traditional politicians. Obama is just a different breed. He is prone to some mistakes, but has been flexible enough to adapt and withstand the Republican-like attacks of the Clinton campaign.”

“Hillary has known negatives; Obama keeps making his negatives daily. We dreamed of Hillary as the best Democrat for us to defeat, but to our surprise Obama is getting better and better with his words, his wife’s words and his pastor’s words. Keep him talking!”

Quote du Jour

Buck Banks

One should as a rule respect public opinion in so far as is necessary to avoid starvation and to keep out of prison, but anything that goes beyond this is voluntary submission to an unnecessary tyranny, and is likely to interfere with happiness in all kinds of ways.

— Bertrand Russell (1872-1970), Welsh philosopher, historian, logician, mathematician, advocate for social reform and pacifist

Pennsylvania — It’s Not All Deer Hunters

Buck Banks

As Hillary Clinton slams back boilermakers and talks gun talk in Pennsylvania and Barack Obama parses the bitterness of denizens of the Rust Belt, it’s worth noting that, according to 2006 U.S. Census data, Pennsylvanians are pretty much like most everybody else in the United States. Here are some mildly interesting stats:

  • Median age: Pennsylvania 39.5; U.S. 36.4
  • Women: 51.4%; 50.7%
  • White alone, not Hispanic or Latino: 82.1%; 66.4%
  • Black alone: 10.7%; 12.8%
  • Hispanic or Latino: 4.2%; 14.8%
  • Median household income: $46,259; $48,451
  • Foreign born: 5.1%; 12.5%
  • Persons below poverty: 12.1%; 13.3%
  • Bachelor’s degree or higher (age 25+): 25.4%; 27.0%
  • Median home value: $145,200; $185,200

Quote du Jour

Buck Banks

A newspaper is of necessity something of a monopoly, and its first duty is to shun the temptations of monopoly. Its primary office is the gathering of news. At the peril of its soul it must see that the supply is not tainted. Neither in what it gives, nor in what it does not give,nor in the mode of presentation must the unclouded face of truth suffer wrong. Comment is free, but facts are sacred.

— C.P. Scott (1846-1932), British journalist, publisher and politician

Polk County Sheriff Releases More Evidence in Cheerleader Beating Case

Buck Banks

Sheriff Grady Judd’s motto must be “Don’t Save Anything for the Trial.” Yesterday, he released to the media the tape of the 911 call placed by Victoria Lindsay and her friend’s mother after Lindsay was beaten up by six girls who claim she posted insulting content about them on her MySpace page.

The girls had videotaped the beating, but the tape was confiscated by the sheriff’s department before they could post it. Now, however, it’s all over the Internet, courtesy of Sheriff Judd’s need for media attention. Nobody would have seen the tape until the trial if Sheriff Judd hadn’t needed it to fuel his lust for attention that was gladly satisfied by the likes of the Today Show and CNN, etc.

We’re curious, what do you think the high sheriff of Polk County will release next to keep the media spotlight focused on him? Leave a comment with your prediction.

Stephanopoulos Got Debate Question for Obama about 1970s Radical William Ayres from Sean Hannity

Jon Ponder

In the Democratic candidates’ debate last night, the “liberal media” teamed up with fake media when ABC News moderator George Stephanopoulos asked Barack Obama about Obama’s connection to the former 1960s radical, William Ayres. Here’s a sketch of the exchange between Stephanopoulos and Fox News’ Sean Hannity, on Hannity’s radio show on WABC:
When Hannity asked about the first question below about Ayers and whether George had plans to ask such a question, George replied, “Well, I’m taking notes now Sean.” It did actually sound like he was pausing to take notes.

George Stephanopoulos was just on the Sean Hannity Radio show getting all chummy with Hannity. George told Hannity that Hannity was “absolutely right” that Obama has tarnished his image as a uniter when he “pandered to the elite San Francisco crowd about the blue collar Pennsylvania workers” (summation of George’s comments, not an exact quote, but close).

Hannity asked George what kinds of questions they’ll be asking at the debate tomorrow and they discussed a few things. When Hannity asked about the first question below about Ayers and whether George had plans to ask such a question, George replied, “Well, I’m taking notes now Sean.” It did actually sound like he was pausing to take notes. And Hannity continued to feed him more:

1) Ask Obama about his relationship with Ayers and WeatherUnderground and Axelrod’s comments, “They’re friendly”

2) Ask Obama why he attended the Million Man March

Here’s the Q&A from the debate:

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And the Zell Miller Award Goes to…Joe Lieberman!

Trish

What’s the deal with Republicans needing to trot out a Democrat at their convention every four years? And what’s up with so-called Democrats who are eager to play the role of the straight-talking, fair-minded bipartisan who totally gets them?

This year’s Zell Miller award goes to Sen. Joseph Lieberman, party uncertain, of Connecticut, who will probably address the Republican presidential convention when it’s held in Minnesota’s Twin Cities in September.

Let’s just hope Lieberman doesn’t end his address by challenging Chris Matthews to a duel

Sen. Joe Lieberman — the Democratic vice presidential nominee in 2000 — is willing to address the Republican National Convention if it will help Sen. John McCain win in November, his office confirms to CNN.

In an interview published Tuesday night, the independent Connecticut senator told The Hill newspaper that “If Sen. McCain, who I support so strongly, asked me to do it, if he thinks it will help him, I will.”

Let’s just hope Lieberman doesn’t end his address by challenging Chris Matthews to a duel. For those of you too young or too old to remember, Zell Miller did precisely that in 2004 when the Hairball host pissed him off totally by asking him, after his shining moment of glory speaking before the adoring Republican assembly, if he was serious about any of that trash he had just talked about John Kerry. Cast your mind back to one of the classic moments in convention history…

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