Politics | Elections Watch 2008

2009-04-04: Headlines

Washington Post: The Real Baracketology 2009-04-04

Reiter pick: "Words don't matter" was an effective counterpunch in the primaries when Obama was being mocked by Hillary Clinton for, of all things, giving a good speech. Say what? But "more than one thing at once," Obama's response to McCain's call ...

 

Winston-Salem Journal: Familiar phrase phased out; new president prefers another 2009-04-04

John mccain of Arizona asked Gen. David Petraeus, the commander of US Central Command, about a threatened terrorist attack on Washington by Pakistan's Taliban leader, Baitullah Masood. Petraeus responded that the government is taking the thre ...

 

Roanoke Times: Pair to defend GOP chief 2009-04-04

But he drew the rebuke of Republican presidential nominee John McCain after he likened Barack Obama to Osama bin Laden because "both have friends that bombed the Pentagon." Under his leadership, Republicans lost two seats in Congress, giving Democratic ...

 

Globe and Mail: Obama turns left 2009-04-04

Last September, when John mccain suspended his election campaign and returned to Washington in a futile effort to help pass the bank-rescue bill, Mr. Obama continued campaigning, saying, "A president has to be able to do more than one thing at a time.  

 

Nelson Mail: Book aims for better understanding 2009-04-04

He has had correspondence from Barack Obama, John McCain, Bill Clinton and a host of other congressmen and senators. He writes to the presidential library, the archives and different political personalities sometimes up to eight times a day.

 

Yahoo! News: Elections: Obama may agree to less allied help in Afghanistan (AP) 2009-04-04

 

Yahoo! News: Elections: Analysis: Unemployment growth could hurt Obama (AP) 2009-04-04

 

Yahoo! News: Elections: Unemployment soars to 8.5 pct.; 13 million jobless (AP) 2009-04-04

 

Yahoo! News: Elections: Report: Obama to ease Cuba restrictions (AP) 2009-04-04

 

Yahoo! News: Elections: World watches Obama, Sarkozy ó forget the husbands (AP) 2009-04-04

 

Yahoo! News: Elections: Obama plans new company bailout initiatives (AFP) 2009-04-04

 

Yahoo! News: Elections: Is Congress Being Too Tough on Nominees' Taxes? (Time.com) 2009-04-04

 

Yahoo! News: Elections: Homeland Security boss says cartels under pressure (AP) 2009-04-04

2009-04-03: Headlines

mcclatchydc.com: Politics: Sanford gives in on stimulus, will seek funds for S.C. 2009-04-03

WASHINGTON — Gov. Mark Sanford will comply with a midnight Friday stimulus deadline and become the last governor in the nation to seek millions of dollars in federal economic-recovery funds for his state, aides said late Thursday.

 

CQPolitics.com: Virginia Bears Bellweather Burden 2009-04-03

The Moran campaign is trying to paint mcauliffe, who chaired Hillary Rodham Clinton 's presidential campaign, as insufficiently supportive of Obama, her formal rival for the presidency. mcauliffe's campaign responded that Rogers' firm is bipartisan ...

 

Houston Chronicle: Harrop: Dems must hang on to moderate Blue Dogs 2009-04-03

Forty-nine House Democrats come from districts that backed John McCain in 2008. They have no reason to relax. As a reality check, the special election in upstate New York to replace Blue Dog Kirsten Gillibrand (now in Hillary Clinton's Senate seat)

 

Yahoo! News: Elections: Norquist rags racists, rich liberals (Politico) 2009-04-03

Politico - You can’t read a day’s worth of Washington news without coming across Grover Norquist’s name and pronouncements at least once or twice. But can you really say you know Grover Norquist?

 

Yahoo! News: Elections: The battle over Afghan benchmarks (Politico) 2009-04-03

Politico - Whenever a war goes badly, Congress starts talking about benchmarks — specific objectives that lawmakers can use to assess the worsening situation on the ground.

 

Yahoo! News: Elections: Dodd pals speak out after bad poll (Politico) 2009-04-03

Politico - Democrats in Connecticut and Washington closed ranks Thursday behind embattled Sen. Chris Dodd (D-Conn.) after the release of a stunning poll that showed the onetime presidential candidate has cratered in the wake of the AIG bonus controversy.

 

Yahoo! News: Elections: Coleman faces hot seat even if he wins (Politico) 2009-04-03

Politico - Even if Norm Coleman pulls off a long-shot legal victory in the extended Minnesota Senate race, Democrats are vowing to make him wish that he hadn’t.

 

Yahoo! News: Elections: For some members, K St. is a dead end (Politico) 2009-04-03

Politico - The assumption that any member of Congress can successfully trade the crushing demands of public life for the money-lined confines of K Street is one of Washington’s most enduring story lines.

 

Yahoo! News: Elections: Congressional bulls guard their turf (Politico) 2009-04-03

Politico - If there’s one lesson President Barack Obama has learned during his first three months dealing with Congress, it’s this: Mind your step around that obstreperous herd of powerful Democratic chairmen, aka the “Old Bulls.”

 

Yahoo! News: Elections: Inside Obama's polling operation (Politico) 2009-04-03

Politico - As President Barack Obama works to sell the American people on a sweeping agenda of domestic spending and policy changes, he’s relying on three men who have gone through neither Senate confirmation nor cable news spin cycles.

 

Yahoo! News: Elections: Blagojevich indictment about money: Lots of it (AP) 2009-04-03

AP - The federal racketeering indictment against former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich is all about money, and lots of it — including the big bucks he is accused of trying to collect selling or swapping President Barack Obama's former U.S. Senate seat.

 

POLITICO.com: Politics: Ben Smith: Inside Obama's polling operation 2009-04-03

Polling data becomes increasingly important as the crucial battle over Obama's budget intensifies.

 

POLITICO.com: Politics: Josh Gerstein,Nia-Malika Henderson: It's back: Immigration heats up 2009-04-03

Latino leaders pressure W.H. to set goal of signing reform bill by the end of the year.

 

POLITICO.com: Politics: David S. Cloud,Jen DiMascio: The battle over Afghan benchmarks 2009-04-03

The†White House wants to set its own benchmarks to measure progress.

 

POLITICO.com: Politics: Glenn Thrush,Manu Raju: Coleman faces hot seat even if he wins 2009-04-03

Even if he pulls off a long-shot legal victory, Dems vow to make him wish that he hadn't.

 

POLITICO.com: Politics: Andy Barr: The case for an outsider in Hawaii 2009-04-03

Former Democratic Rep. Ed Case, who's made a career out of antagonizing Hawaii's Dem establishment, is back.

 

POLITICO.com: Politics: Lisa Lerer,Victoria McGrane: Congress backs off AIG crackdown 2009-04-03

It's still riding on the AIG outrage express, but the drive to actually attack AIG is sputtering.

 

POLITICO.com: Politics: Carrie Budoff Brown: Sebelius spared tough questions 2009-04-03

The HHS nominee fields less than two hours of softball questions in her confirmation hearing.

 

2009-04-02: Headlines

World War 4 Report: AMNESTY NOW: HOW AND WHY 2009-04-02

In Finney County, southwestern Kansas, fewer than 10000 people voted in this year's presidential election, and mccain beat Obama by 35 percentage points (67%-32%). Yet on April 10, 2006, an estimated 3000 to 4000 people rallied for legalization ...

 

Scoop.co.nz: Undernews For March 31, 2009 2009-04-02

During the 2008 presidential campaign, John McCain called for forty-five new nuke plants to be built. Barack Obama, while less specific, also pledged federal subsidies to help build atomic power plants. This second wave of state-of-the-art atomic power ...

 

South Dakota Politics: Obama's No Good Very Bad Day in London 2009-04-02

I can't wait to see how that plays out in the Senate. If you are expecting me to blame all this on Barack Obama, prepare for a disappointment. Presidents mccain, or Clinton, or Huckabee or Kucinich would have been in the same situation.

 

NBC Los Angeles: Tina Fey "May Have" Swung the Election for Obama 2009-04-02

The other candidates ê particularly John McCain and Hillary Clinton ê found themselves on the wrong end of far more punchlines during the seemingly interminable primary and general races, getting knocked around on "SNL" and elsewhere.

 

Yahoo! News: Elections: WHITE HOUSE NOTEBOOK: Obama visits Queen Elizabeth (AP) 2009-04-02

 

Yahoo! News: Elections: US to boost ports of entry along US-Mexico border (AP) 2009-04-02

 

Yahoo! News: Elections: Media panel says constant Obama coverage warranted (AP) 2009-04-02

 

Yahoo! News: Elections: House set to vote on tobacco regulation bill (AP) 2009-04-02

 

Yahoo! News: Elections: Obama aunt can stay in US until 2010 in asylum bid (AP) 2009-04-02

 

Yahoo! News: Elections: Did Obama's iPod gift make the cut? (Politico) 2009-04-02

 

Yahoo! News: Elections: Obamas greet British queen, trade gifts (AP) 2009-04-02

 

Yahoo! News: Elections: Todd Palin: $150K on clothes 'out of our control' (AP) 2009-04-02

 

NBC Los Angeles: Tina Fey "May Have" Swung the Election for Obama 2009-04-02

The other candidates ê particularly John McCain and Hillary Clinton ê found themselves on the wrong end of far more punchlines during the seemingly interminable primary and general races, getting knocked around on "SNL" and elsewhere.

 

2009-04-01: Headlines

Tampa Tribune: Late-Night Obama Isn't For Everyone 2009-04-01

... Laugh-In." Eventually we had CANDIDATE Bill Clinton - "boxers or briefs?" - going on "The Arsenio Hall Show" and playing safe sax. Now we've seen A-List CANDIDATES such as John McCain who needed "The Late Show" more than David Letterman needed him.

 

Yahoo! News: Elections: Lawmakers push to open travel to Cuba (AP) 2009-04-01

AP - It's time for Congress to end restrictions that for more than half a century have prevented most Americans from visiting Cuba, a bipartisan group of senators said Tuesday.

 

Yahoo! News: Elections: Dodd shifts fundraiser site from club (Politico) 2009-04-01

Politico - Sen. Chris Dodd (D-Conn.) moved to change the location of a $1,000-a-head April 7 fundraiser in New York City Tuesday, after learning that it was to be held at an exclusive club long criticized for having no minority members.

 

Yahoo! News: Elections: Obama, Medvedev to open missile talks (Politico) 2009-04-01

Politico - President Barack Obama and Russian President Dmitri Medvedev will likely commit to beginning new talks on reducing nuclear arms stockpiles to no more than 1,500 deployed nuclear warheads when they meet for the first time Wednesday, people familiar with the discussions said

 

Yahoo! News: Elections: Obama faces high-stakes China, Russia meetings (AP) 2009-04-01

 

Yahoo! News: Elections: Sebelius admits errors, pays $7,000 in back taxes (AP) 2009-04-01

 

Yahoo! News: Elections: First results show tight race in NY 'test' vote (AFP) 2009-04-01

 

Yahoo! News: Elections: NY House race too close to call, 65-vote Dem lead (AP) 2009-04-01

 

Yahoo! News: Elections: Obama's aunt becomes symbol in immigration debate (AP) 2009-04-01

2009-03-31: Headlines

Huffington Post: Third Time's The Charm? After Winning Two Afghan Wars In A Quarter ... 2009-03-31

Now Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is at the Hague in the Netherlands for a UN-sponsored conference on Afghanistan, looking for more support. Barack Obama and John McCain sounded similar themes about the troubled Afghan War while campaigning ...

 

Huffington Post: Study Finds Bias in 2008 Campaign -- Among Men Only 2009-03-31

The tendency to favor fellow Obama or Clinton supporters was measured through a generosity exercise, the "dictator game," which found that male voters chose to be more generous to others who supported their preferred candidate, be it Clinton or Obama.

 

OpEdNews: Puddy's State of the Union 3/30/09 2009-03-31

He was hand picked as well by the Combine to run for President as were others such as mccain, Clinton, Obama, Romney, and Edwards. Vilsack was considered by the Combine as the chosen VP for Kerrys run in 2004. Vilsacks politics and connections ...

 

Los Angeles Times: US destroyers move from South Korean port 2009-03-31

Lt. Matt Galan, a spokesman for the US Pacific Fleet, confirmed that the destroyers McCain and Chafee both left port in Busan, South Korea, on Monday, but he declined to discuss their mission or destination. Galan said only that the McCain was armed ...

 

Miller-McCune.com: Face Time: Voters Young and Old Judge By Looks 2009-03-31

On a side note, the researchers did show some children the candidate pairs of Obama-Clinton and Obama-mccain, and found they were able to prospectively predict the outcome of both the Democratic primary and the presidential election.

 

Yahoo! News: Elections: Locke urges census volunteers to boost outreach (AP) 2009-03-31

AP - New Commerce Secretary Gary Locke on Monday exhorted census volunteers to boost outreach in hard-to-count communities as a top lawmaker urged the government to halt immigration raids to ensure an accurate count.

 

Yahoo! News: Elections: New law protects wild areas in 9 states (AP) 2009-03-31

AP - President Barack Obama signed legislation Monday setting aside more than 2 million acres in nine states as protected wilderness.

 

Yahoo! News: Elections: Black caucus calls for more diversity in bailouts (AP) 2009-03-31

AP - Members of the Congressional Black Caucus on Monday criticized the lack of minority participation in the government's financial bailouts and suggested that President Barack Obama isn't doing much better than his predecessor to ensure diversity.

 

Yahoo! News: Elections: State news of national interest (AP) 2009-03-31

AP - BOSTON (AP) — In an effort to reform the Massachusetts pension system, Senate leaders offered a bill that would remove a provision that credits a full year of service to employees who have worked as little as one day in that year. It also would end a practice that allows elected officials to claim a "termination allowance" if they fail in their re-election bids.

 

Yahoo! News: Elections: Romney's work puts him in 2012 political spotlight (AP) 2009-03-31

AP - Mitt Romney doesn't have a job for the first time in his adult life. That hardly means he's not working. In ways both subtle and overt, the 2008 Republican presidential contender, former Massachusetts governor, one-time Olympics chief and high-flying businessman is building toward a 2012 White House campaign by judiciously engaging and disengaging with the national debate.

 

Yahoo! News: Elections: Obama asserts gov't control over the auto industry (AP) 2009-03-31

AP - President Barack Obama asserted unprecedented government control over the auto industry Monday, bluntly rejecting turnaround plans by General Motors Corp. and Chrysler LLC, demanding fresh concessions for long-term federal aid and raising the possibility of quick bankruptcy for either ailing auto giant.

 

Yahoo! News: Elections: New York congressional race tests Obama (AFP) 2009-03-31

AFP - Polls open Tuesday in upstate New York for a Congressional by-election putting President Barack Obama's economic recovery policies to their first electoral test.

 

Yahoo! News: Elections: Ben Nelson: a help or a hurdle? (Politico) 2009-03-31

Politico - For organized labor, the most powerful politician in America right now isn’t President Barack Obama, Vice President Joe Biden or even House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Instead, it might just be the man in the middle: Sen. Ben Nelson (D-Neb.).

 

POLITICO.com: Politics: Charles Mahtesian: NY 20: An election or Rorschach test? 2009-03-31

The first congressional contest of the Obama era takes on an importance that belies its strategic value.

 

2009-03-30: Headlines

Huffington Post: Sarah, Greta & Scientology--Part II: Van Susteren Doth Protest Too ... 2009-03-30

... or withdrawal, from Clinton's campaign on August 28, 2008--the same date that Obama made his historic acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention. The following day, Palin was named as John McCain's running mate. From that point ...

 

mcclatchydc.com: Politics: Feds declare GM, Chrysler not viable, refuse more aid 2009-03-30

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama on Monday will reject requests for almost $22 billion in new taxpayer bailout money for General Motors Corp. and Chrysler, saying the car makers have failed to take steps to ensure their viability.

 

mcclatchydc.com: Politics: How insurers secretly blacklist millions with common ailments 2009-03-30

Trying to buy health insurance on your own and have gallstones? You'll automatically be denied coverage. Rheumatoid arthritis? Automatic denial. Severe acne? Probably denied. Do you take metformin, a popular drug for diabetes? Denied. Use the anti-clotting drug Plavix or Seroquel, prescribed for anti-psychotic or sleep problems? Forget about it.

 

Yahoo! News: Elections: Obama: I told bankers bonuses "not acceptable" (Reuters) 2009-03-30

Reuters - President Barack Obama said on Sunday he told the chiefs of the biggest U.S. banks that bonuses are not acceptable while many Americans struggle to meet basic expenses in the midst of a severe recession.

 

Salon: Obama's domino theory 2009-03-30

The president sounds like he's channeling Cheney or McCain -- or a Cold War hawk afraid of international communism -- when he talks about the war in Afghanistan. By Juan Cole AP Photo/Ron Edmonds President Obama announces a new comprehensive strategy ...

 

Charleston: Congress should not control speech - Daily Mail 2009-03-30

The US Supreme Court largely upheld the law in 2003. But when a lower court held that McCain-Feingold applied also to a 90-minute movie critical of Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, the law would up before the high court again recently.

 

Malaysia Today: May There Be Many More Such Encounters! 2009-03-30

During the height of the American presidential election last year, candidates Barack Obama and John mccain took time off from their hectic campaigns for a joint appearance at the annual charity event, the Alfred E Smith Foundation Dinner ...

 

New York Times: Obama Heads Back to Europe, Challenges in Tow 2009-03-30

But the cheering throngs that greeted him also handed his Republican opponent in the presidential campaign, Senator John mccain of Arizona, an opening to paint him as a celebrity-politician. Mr. Obama returns to Europe this week as president ...

 

Television Week: Pointing the Way to Progress 2009-03-30

John McCain. People who know Mr. McSlarrow from that pre-cable period describe him as unassuming, as willing to do minor jobs as major ones and smart, with an ability to quickly get up to speed on issues he knew little about.

 

New York Times: Cable News Stokes Political Fever 2009-03-30

"I have been participating in this aquarium for 20 years and there has been a definite shift," said Mark McKinnon, vice president for Public Strategies and a media adviser to both President George W. Bush and Senator John McCain.

 

Yahoo! News: Elections: Obama shortens Detroit's lifeline (Politico) 2009-03-30

Politico - In surprising findings to be outlined at the White House on Monday, President Obama has concluded that neither GM nor Chrysler as they now exist deserve more bailouts. But the White House is sparing them for a month or two, and is promising American consumers that the government will stand behind warranties if the automakers fail.

 

Yahoo! News: Elections: W.H.: Chrysler small enough to fail (Politico) 2009-03-30

Politico - It turns out that Chrysler might be just small enough to fail.

 

Yahoo! News: Elections: Michelle takes the world stage (Politico) 2009-03-30

Politico - President John F. Kennedy once quipped that he was merely “the man who accompanied Jacqueline Kennedy to Paris.”

 

POLITICO.com: Politics: Eamon Javers: W.H.: Chrysler small enough to fail 2009-03-30

Chrysler has 30 days to turn the ship around, or sink, says the administration.

 

POLITICO.com: Politics: Mike Allen,Josh Gerstein: Obama shortens Detroit's lifeline 2009-03-30

Obama concludes that neither GM nor Chrysler can survive as they now exist.

 

Yahoo! News: Elections: Obama conditions bailout funds for automakers (AP) 2009-03-30

 

Yahoo! News: Elections: Sources: Obama to give GM 2 months to restructure (AP) 2009-03-30

2009-03-29: Headlines

Yahoo! News: Elections: Obama starts climate change forum for big economies (Reuters) 2009-03-29

 

Muncie Star Press: COLUMN: Obama's honeymoon over 2009-03-29

One of them, Senate Finance Chairman Max Baucus, suggested that he is thinking of financing expanded health insurance coverage by taxing policies now provided by employers -- an idea Obama denounced when John McCain endorsed it during the campaign.

 

Ghana News: Tribute to Women - Celebrating Women's History Month 2009-03-29

To show the power of the pen, examine what I wrote long ago and even forgot about, but just found archived on the Web: LETTER TO Presidential Candidate Barack OBAMA Analysis of the Obama-McCain Presidential campaign: WINNING STRATEGY in a DESPERATE ...

 

Yahoo! News: Elections: Report: Blago list included Senate hopefuls (AP) 2009-03-29

AP - A list of people targeted for contributions by former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich's campaign committee included four possible candidates for appointment to President Barack Obama's vacant Senate seat, according to a published newspaper report.

 

Yahoo! News: Elections: Obama seeks to rein in Wall Street, broaden agenda (AP) 2009-03-29

 

Yahoo! News: Elections: White House planning more auto financial aid (AP) 2009-03-29

 

Yahoo! News: Elections: Obama aims to bolster alliances on overseas trip (AP) 2009-03-29

 

Yahoo! News: Elections: Biden says no plans to scrap trade embargo on Cuba (AP) 2009-03-29

 

Yahoo! News: Elections: Out-of-network insurance practices face scrutiny (AP) 2009-03-29

 

Yahoo! News: Elections: Obama monitors flooding, pledges federal help (AP) 2009-03-29