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By David Sirota
$10.17
Edited by Joshua Rubenstein and Ilya Altman
$ 23.07
$20
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AP photo / Rich Pedroncelli
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Internal shake-ups among Sen. John McCain’s campaign aides, unusual structuring choices within his camp and the worry among some Republicans that their presumptive nominee isn’t capitalizing sufficiently on the Democrats’ current chaos are all spelling trouble for Team McCain.
Posted on May 24, 2008
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Barack Obama responds to the Tennessee GOP, which went after his wife, Michelle, in a recent ad.
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By E.J. Dionne, Jr. — Panic has taken hold of the party following its loss in a ruby-red district, and some Republicans are warning of disaster for the GOP unless it revamps its stale “brand.”
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Flickr / exfordy
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The GOP was already bracing for a tough political year, but losses in three special elections prompted Rep. Tom Davis to send a panicked note to Republican leaders: “The political atmosphere facing House Republicans this November is the worst since Watergate and is far more toxic than the fall of 2006 when we lost thirty seats.”
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By E.J. Dionne, Jr. — The first important election result for the senator in May—coming before his North Carolina victory—was the outcome of a little-noticed U.S. House contest in Louisiana.
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AP photo / Mary Altaffer
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In a bid to clarify his stance on the (current) Iraq war, as well as just how long he’d be “fine” with maintaining a U.S. military presence in the region, Sen. John McCain held one of those town hall meetings that are so de rigueur among campaigning politicians these days, this time in Denver, where he performed some semantic gymnastics for his audience at the Robert E. Loup Jewish Community Center.
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AP photo / Mary Altaffer
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By Robert Scheer — Would President John McCain forget who made that 3 a.m. call to the special White House phone? I suspect that his aides would not just let him nod off back to sleep, even if they were intimidated by the prospect of one of his alleged intemperate outbursts, but might our septuagenarian president be less than fully focused?
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flickr.com
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All right, people, it’s high time someone dealt squarely with this question: Does John McCain have anger-management issues? Monday brought word on this potential problem, the Republican Party’s sword of Damocles, from provocateur Christopher Hitchens, who dares to ask “whether [McCain’s] elevator goes all the way to the top.”
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By Will Durst — Comedian Will Durst offers up a short list, from Colin Powell to the Verizon guy.
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By E.J. Dionne, Jr. — Liberals who have sung the praises of John McCain in the past confront a fascinating test of consistency, integrity and political commitment now that McCain is the virtually certain Republican nominee. It could be an amusing moment. I should know, since I’m one of them.
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newsweek.com
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How quickly the tides turn for would-be presidential nominees. Just a few weeks ago, a former Arkansas governor was grabbing headlines, and it wasn’t Bill Clinton. Now, Mike Huckabee is calling for a debate with GOP front-runner John McCain and almost no one in the media is taking note except the six reporters still assigned to trail him.
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nytimes.com
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The Politico reports that Republican strategists have been clandestinely polling and focus-grouping to determine how America might react to campaign attacks on an African-American or woman presidential candidate. As one strategist explained, “You can’t allow the party to be Macaca-ed,” a reference to former Sen. George Allen, whose use of a racial slur cost him certain victory in the last election.
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AP photo / Gerald Herbert
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John McCain’s recent jockeying to make himself look like a direct heir to Ronald Reagan’s Republican legacy was helped along Monday by George H.W. Bush’s vote of confidence that McCain is indeed the right person to lead the nation as the next president.
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indecision2008.com
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One of John McCain’s top advisers, Mark McKinnon, says he will resign from the campaign if Barack Obama wins the Democratic nomination, because “I would simply be uncomfortable being in a campaign that would be inevitably attacking Barack Obama.” McKinnon says he would still support McCain from a distance, but “I met Barack Obama, I read his book, I like him a great deal.”
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By E.J. Dionne, Jr. — The turmoil in the Republican presidential contest, which seems to produce a new front-runner every month, owes to President Bush’s unpopularity and the fact that even members of his own party want to turn the page on the last seven years.
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By E.J. Dionne, Jr. — The rise of the Baptist minister—an “evangelical populist”—has put the fear of God into the Republican establishment.
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AP photo / Charlie Neibergall
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Just two weeks shy of the Iowa primary, the contest for the Republican presidential nomination has shifted into high gear, with former Arkansas governor (note to aspiring politicos: Arkansas is apparently not the worst place to cultivate presidential ambitions) Mike Huckabee rising quickly through GOP ranks to take the lead.
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rpv.org
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It’s almost primary time, voters of America, so get ready for more electoral shenanigans! The venerable southern state of Virginia is fast out of the gates this election season, thanks to the local Republican Party, which came up with the ingenious idea of requiring voters who want to take part in February’s primary to pledge that they’ll also cast their vote for the Republican presidential nominee next Nov. 4.
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By E.J. Dionne, Jr. — The Democratic surge that began in 2006 continued in elections around the country on Tuesday. But how the Democrats won provides a cautionary tale for the national party.
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By E.J. Dionne, Jr. — The strangest thing about John McCain’s campaign for president is that it’s supposed to be dead, but it isn’t. This is a real nuisance for his competitors.
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By Will Durst — Oooh. He’s clever. And obviously knows exactly what he’s doing. This is all a setup, people. Has to be. Yes, I’m talking about George Bush’s veto of the State Children’s Health Insurance Program. Who but a total stoned horned ogre would do that? Maybe an ogre with something up his sleeve, eh?
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cnn.com
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Jimmy Carter was en fuego during a chat with Wolf Blitzer on Wednesday, blasting the Bush administration for torturing people, the GOP candidates for racing to the fringe and Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama for refusing to commit to a full withdrawal of troops from Iraq.
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By Will Durst — The creator will campaign for a third-party candidate if Rudy locks up the GOP nomination. How do we know this? Well, it seems God whispered in the ears of certain evangelical leaders.
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By Marie Cocco — Republicans almost suffered strokes over Hillary Clinton’s health insurance plan. Now that the screams of outrage have subsided, a close examination reveals that the GOP alternatives are either nonexistent or unworkable.
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Inspired by a nefarious scheme to divert California’s electoral votes to the GOP, Stephen Colbert looks into the oppression of California’s Republicans: “They must be under attack. Why else would so many of them live in gated communities?”
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Alan Greenspan is no fan of the Bush administration or the once-dominant congressional Republicans. In his new memoir, “The Age of Turbulence: Adventures in a New World,” the former Federal Reserve chairman disparages the two groups for violating the GOP’s values on spending and small government. Updated
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By E.J. Dionne, Jr. — As Virginia goes, so goes the Senate—and the nation? The decision of former Virginia Gov. Mark Warner to run for the seat of retiring Republican Sen. John Warner is more than just bad news for the GOP.
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AP Photo / Douglas C. Pizac
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The GOP is undergoing a bit of an ethical crisis following the recent string of scandals involving prominent Republicans—the most recent being, of course, the media hullabaloo surrounding Sen. Larry Craig’s run-in with an undercover policeman in a Minneapolis airport men’s room. Oh, and then there’s that whole Iraq war issue.
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The Idaho senator who was arrested on charges of committing a lewd act in a Minnesota airport apologizes for the scandal but emphatically denies that he is gay: “Let me be clear: I am not gay. I never have been gay.” For the record, if a movie is ever made of this fiasco, Craig simply has to be played by John Lithgow.
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Mitt Romney won the Republican straw poll in Iowa on Saturday by a wide margin, but his victory was tempered by the conspicuous absence of the other big names in the campaign: John McCain, Rudy Giuliani and Fred Thompson. Mike Huckabee, meanwhile, turned heads with a surprising second-place finish. Tommy Thompson said previously he would drop out of the race if he didn’t get second or better. He placed sixth.
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By E.J. Dionne, Jr. — Watch out, Fred Thompson: By the time you get into the race for the Republican presidential nomination, Mitt Romney may have run away with your constituency.
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By E.J. Dionne, Jr. — In a state that likes the GOP, Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland, a Democrat, is succeeding by respecting those who disagree with him. Members of his party who are seeking the presidency should take note.
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AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais
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Adding to the mounting pressure on President Bush to revise his stubborn “stay the course” strategy in the Iraq war, top Republican Sens. John W. Warner (pictured) and Richard G. Lugar made a gesture of dissent by proposing a U.S. troop redeployment plan on Friday.
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The Democratic candidates have won the latest round of fundraising in what is expected to be the most expensive election ever. Here’s what the candidates took in, in millions: Obama - $32.5, Clinton - $27, Edwards - $9, Richardson - $7, Giuliani - $15, Romney - $14, and McCain - $11. Going by estimates, Obama had more individual donors than Giuliani, Romney and McCain combined.
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dailylobo.com
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Ousted U.S. Attorney David Iglesias says he believes he was fired, in part, for failing to meet the obsessive demands of a nonprofit organization with ties to the Republican Party that allegedly sought to limit the voting rights of minorities. Is there a more heinous political practice than the disenfranchisement of minority voters after so long a struggle?
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Rudy Giuliani is no stranger to ill-advised staffing choices, but his latest picks to head up his South Carolina campaign have caused the candidate some real headaches. First, Thomas Ravenel had to resign, presumably from legal trouble related to cocaine. Now his father (and replacement) is in hot water over past racist comments, including a reference to the NAACP as the “National Association for Retarded People.”
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doublespeakshow.com
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John McCain isn’t worried about his floundering presidential campaign—at least not publicly—but a number of polls show his support slipping into single digits. Mayor Knox White of Greenville, S.C., a McCain supporter, explains the downward trend this way: “[McCain] sometimes makes voters mad.”
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Rudy Giuliani is in damage control mode, now that people have noticed that during his two-month tour as a member of the Iraq Study Group he missed two meetings in order to make paid appearances. The candidate called his participation in the group a mistake, both because he intended to run for office and because it “didn’t seem that I would really be able to keep the thing focused on a bipartisan, nonpolitical resolution.”
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needlenose.com
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Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and President Bush are determined to push through the ailing immigration reform bill, despite heavy opposition from both sides of the aisle. Reid, who has partnered with Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, said Democrats would work through the July 4 recess if necessary.
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By E.J. Dionne, Jr. — The great drama in American politics today revolves around the question: What is the Republican Party?
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Whatever happened to that Republican spirit of individual liberty? During the recent GOP debate, none of the candidates came out against the military’s “Don’t ask, don’t tell” policy on homosexuals. According to John McCain, “the policy is working,” despite frequent reports that the “Don’t ask” requirement is often ignored.
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By E.J. Dionne, Jr. — The argument among Republicans over whether President Bush should grant Scooter Libby a quick pardon amounts to a battle between the past and the future.
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By Joe Conason — The only way for Rudolph Giuliani to protect his status as the Republican Party’s leading presidential aspirant is to distract his party’s primary voters from the long list of issues that divide them from him.
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The Republican Party’s only anti-war candidate (so far) tells Jon Stewart it’s the other candidates who have lost touch with conservative values. As Stewart points out, that could be a problem: “You appear to have consistent, principled integrity. Uh ... Americans don’t usually go for that.”
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