January 10, 2008

Richardson Rides Into The Sunset

UPDATED.

"As we head out West, the fight goes on!" Bill Richardson declared after a disappointing fourth-place finish in Tuesday's New Hampshire primary. But in New Mexico this afternoon, the governor was singing a decidedly different tune as he bid his presidential campaign adieu.

"It is with great pride, understanding and acceptance that I am ending my campaign for president of the United States," he told a crowd of supporters after being introduced by his wife, Barbara, and Rep. Tom Udall, D-N.M. Calling his unsuccessful bid "an experience I will treasure and I will never forget," Richardson said, "I believe we made our case to the people. A case for change, but guided by an experienced hand."

Despite his evident disappointment in failing to drum up enough support in the early primary states, Richardson went on to praise his opponents, calling them "the most talented field of my entire lifetime, running to change the direction of our country. And in the end, one of them will."

In his speech, Richardson also endorsed Udall for the Senate seat being vacated by Republican Pete Domenici, effectively ending speculation that the governor would launch a Senate bid himself.

Continue reading "Richardson Rides Into The Sunset"

Posted at 4:00 PM
Posted to: Bill Richardson, Campaigns, Democrats, WH 2008
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January 09, 2008

WH '08: Don't (!!!) Call It A Comeback

"Over the last week, I listened to you, and in the process I found my own voice," a relieved and triumphant Hillary Rodham Clinton told a roaring crowd of supporters last night.

Today's campaign news cycle is all about how the media and pundits boo-boo'd so badly, having declared Clinton's campaign DOA heading into the New Hampshire primary and John McCain out for the count for the last six months running. There's a sea of red faces out there but, we contend, for the wrong reason.

Last we checked, journalism was about reporting facts, not predicting them. Some amount of prognostication can be quite useful for contextualizing the news. But when so many talking heads call a close contest well before the first vote tallies come in, what's the point of that, exactly? It seems as if egos, and not the public, are the ones getting served.

Leave it to quirky, independent-minded Granite Staters to tell the rest of the country: Not so fast.

Continue reading "WH '08: Don't (!!!) Call It A Comeback"

Posted at 5:58 PM
Posted to: Barack Obama, Bill Richardson, Bush Administration, Campaigns, Democrats, Fred Thompson, Hillary Rodham Clinton, John Edwards, John McCain, Media, Mike Huckabee, Mitt Romney, President Bush, Republicans, Rudy Giuliani, WH 2008
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January 02, 2008

Those Fickle Iowans...

MOUNT PLEASANT, Iowa -- A woman who famously switched from volunteering for Hillary Rodham Clinton to Barack Obama has changed her mind again.

Susan Klopfer was volunteering for Clinton until, she estimates, November. She worked hard as a volunteer but resented the advance staff that was brought in to take charge of the events. As the next-door neighbor of Clinton backer and former Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack, Klopfer (a recent transplant from Nevada and, therefore, a first-time caucus-goer) had a bit higher profile than most Iowans. When she switched, the Obama campaign made a video that got lots of play -- not only on YouTube, but also on cable news programs.

"It got more hits than Paris Hilton and Britney Spears. It got the all-time highest over that weekend," she said of the video's YouTube hits. The video was so potent that the Clinton campaign made a response video with its own former Obama supporters.

Yet when Klopfer showed up at a John Edwards house party this morning, it was because she was on the verge of switching again.

Continue reading "Those Fickle Iowans..."

Posted at 12:32 PM
Posted to: Barack Obama, Bill Richardson, Campaigns, Democrats, Hillary Rodham Clinton, John Edwards, WH 2008
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December 27, 2007

Breaking: Benazir Bhutto Killed In Attack

UPDATED.

Outraged supporters of Benazir Bhutto have taken to the streets following confirmation that the Pakistani opposition leader was assassinated today, with at least one province placed on emergency alert.

Bhutto had just spoken at a campaign rally in Rawalpindi, near Islamabad, and had gotten into a car when a gunman opened fire. The apparent assassin then blew himself up. There are conflicting reports on how she was killed. Some witnesses said she had been shot in the neck and chest, while a doctor at the hospital that treated her told the New York Times she had shrapnel wounds but would not confirm she had been directly shot.

At least 15 other people were also killed in the attack, according to various news reports. "Police in Sindh have been put on red alert," a police official told Reuters, referring to Bhutto's home province. "We have increased deployment and are patrolling in all the towns and cities, as there is trouble almost everywhere."

Television footage is showing mobs of people setting fires and destroying property in the streets.

Continue reading "Breaking: Benazir Bhutto Killed In Attack"

Posted at 12:52 PM
Posted to: Al-Qaida, Asia, Bill Richardson, Bush Administration, Campaigns, Democrats, John McCain, Nuclear Weapons, Pakistan, President Bush, Republicans, Rudy Giuliani, Terrorism, WH 2008
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December 13, 2007

Liveblogging The Final Dem Debate Of 2007!

4:10. All over, no more debates until next year, hurray!

Up until a couple of months ago, there seemed to be a critical mass of Democratic support building behind Clinton, in part because of her metamorphosis into a suddenly "human" and likable politician and the assumption that the Clinton machine could best take on the Republican nominee next year. The political press carried on that change vs. experience debate all summer and into the early fall.

But now the nomination fight has been upended, and polls [PDF] show (subscription) that Obama and Edwards are viable in general election matchups, too. That eliminates for some voters their primary thesis for supporting Clinton, and it's why she's been struggling to stay afloat this month.

Most of us can look forward to relaxing with family in a week or so, but for the presidential contenders and Iowans it's closing arguments time. One thought to keep in mind: Part of the shifting around in this field and in the GOP as well is that the Iraq war has largely dropped out of the debate. Iraq no longer dominates the front page because of the decrease in violence and because of the campaigns. That changes in March at the latest, when Gen. David Petraeus is due back in Washington to report on the ground situation. We know the military part of the surge is working, but we are not much farther than we were in September on political reconciliation. The "what's next?" question is still hanging out there, unanswered. The GOP front-runners have more or less indicated loyalty to the Bush administration's policies, so answers will have to come from the Democratic field.

Early reactions: boring, boring, nice, snark.

Continue reading "Liveblogging The Final Dem Debate Of 2007!"

Posted at 4:10 PM
Posted to: Barack Obama, Bill Richardson, Campaigns, Christopher Dodd, Democrats, Economy, Education, Health, Hillary Rodham Clinton, Iraq, John Edwards, Joseph Biden, Middle East, Republicans, Taxes, Trade, WH 2008
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December 04, 2007

NPR Debate: The Gloves Come... On

UPDATED.

As we had hoped, this afternoon's Democratic debate in Des Moines sponsored by NPR and Iowa Public Radio left little room for petty politics and applause lines (largely because there was no live audience) and brought the conversation back to the issues. Three main issues, to be exact: Iran, China and immigration.

Debate moderators Steve Inskeep, Michele Norris and Robert Siegel said they chose to narrow their questions to those three broad topic areas in order to dig deeper into the candidates' positions and allow more time for follow-up. The heavy focus on foreign policy and immigration largely left out the talking points that Democrats have focused on throughout this year of campaigning: Iraq, climate change, health care and economic burdens on the middle class (although at the end they candidates were given time to discuss what they'd do to improve the economy over the four years of their first term).

Instead of standing at podiums, the seven candidates were seated at a V-shaped table. (Bill Richardson was attending the funeral for a Korean War soldier whose remains he helped repatriate back to the U.S. earlier this year.)

The format largely had the intended effect: The candidates were civil, the discussions were substantive (for the most part) and the moderators did their best to coax straightforward answers from the candidates. And maybe it's just us, but there's something about the radio format that made everyone (well, almost everyone) sound more presidential. Here are some of the highlights:

Continue reading "NPR Debate: The Gloves Come... On"

Posted at 6:25 PM
Posted to: Barack Obama, Bill Richardson, Campaigns, Christopher Dodd, Democrats, Dennis Kucinich, Hillary Rodham Clinton, John Edwards, Joseph Biden, Mike Gravel, WH 2008
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November 29, 2007

Republican Debate Postmortem: A Bad Night For CNN

CNN's sorry, so very sorry, for the Clinton plant at last night's debate.

"We regret this, and apologize to the Republican candidates. We never would have used the General's question had we known that he was connected to any presidential candidate," said CNN exec David Bohrman.

"The Most Trusted Name In News" protests that it checked out retired Brig. Gen. Keith Kerr, the gay serviceman who asked the Republican candidates about "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," to make sure he had not contributed to any of the candidates. But if CNN's producers had just, say, Googled the guy, they would have found that he is a member of Hillary Rodham Clinton's LGBT steering committee. Bloggers did, and they were alerting the media about it before the debate was over.

Let's assume that CNN tried its level best to ensure a fair and balanced debate for the Republicans. The network's defense of how it not only let the Kerr question through without full disclosure but gave him five minutes on the floor for follow-up rings pretty weak because of the swiftness and ease with which bloggers found him out. As I noted in my liveblog coverage yesterday, conservatives were already dubious about whether they would be treated fairly at last night's forum, and afterward, a few prominent bloggers agreed they were not.

What it comes down to is this: The debate last night was first and foremost about Republican primary voters, not the general electorate. The reasonable thing to have done was make sure there were plenty of questions being asked by Republicans on issues of primary concern to Republicans. Those illegal immigration questions were a good start, but the evening took several bizarre turns as the night went on. Since the debate ended, conservative bloggers have found out the following:

Continue reading "Republican Debate Postmortem: A Bad Night For CNN"

Posted at 5:58 PM
Posted to: Bill Richardson, Campaigns, Democrats, Hillary Rodham Clinton, John Edwards, Media, Republicans, Ron Paul, WH 2008
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November 16, 2007

The Dems In Vegas: Nothing To Lose...

... and little gained. Barack Obama and John Edwards continued to pepper front-runner Hillary Rodham Clinton with pointed attacks -- and seemed to have shot themselves up a bit instead. By dint of steely preparation Clinton swiftly crushed the immigration ID debate with a simple "no" and hit the gender card question out of the park.

"I'm just trying to play the winning card," Clinton said to tremendous applause. "People are not attacking me because I'm a woman, they're attacking me because I'm ahead."

Ker-pow. Not only is that almost certainly correct, but it's also a great talking point. In a remarkable contrast to her would-be Republican rivals, Clinton has powered through the media's sometimes great mistrust of her to what increasingly resembles a bulletproof lead. This is not a case of base-wide amnesia; the Democratic left's concerns about Fortress Clinton are still quite real. But those voters seem to have decided that there are bigger issues to worry about this election.

Highlights, lowlights and frosted tips (stay with us) after the jump.

Continue reading "The Dems In Vegas: Nothing To Lose..."

Posted at 8:50 AM
Posted to: Barack Obama, Bill Richardson, Bush Administration, Campaigns, Democrats, Hillary Rodham Clinton, John Edwards, Joseph Biden, President Bush, WH 2008
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October 31, 2007

WH '08: Clinton Gets Hazing In Philly Debate

It was ugly, all right. And we're not just talking about the city.

The Democratic presidential candidates chasing Hillary Rodham Clinton sought last night [video] to portray the front-runner as George W. Bush with a better health plan. Did they succeed? And does it matter?

We ask the second question because of how close we are to the primaries and because of how gaping the Big Mo gap's become. Clinton tops second-place Barack Obama by 14 percent and 28 percent per Zogby and CBS News, respectively. Though everyone on stage at Drexel University might come to regret it later in the general election, last night seemed as good a time as any to air out the family business.

By that we mean the internal conversation Democrats have been engaged in practically since Clinton announced she was running for the Senate, a move widely viewed as a springboard to this moment. To the amazement of quite a few old political hands, the former first lady has managed to overcome many of her negatives. In the latest survey, CBS respondents gave her the highest favorability rating among the candidates.

So last night, as expected, Clinton was attacked more pointedly and with more aggression than we've seen in this field. Did anyone manage to land a punch? Yep. Is Clinton down for the count? Nope. Are we going to ride the "Rocky" metaphors for the duration of this post? You bet.

Takeaways from the Dilly in Philly after the jump.

Continue reading "WH '08: Clinton Gets Hazing In Philly Debate"

Posted at 1:49 PM
Posted to: Barack Obama, Bill Richardson, Bush Administration, Campaigns, Christopher Dodd, Democrats, Hillary Rodham Clinton, John Edwards, Joseph Biden, President Bush, Republicans, Rudy Giuliani, WH 2008
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October 30, 2007

Yo, Hillary! Field Hopes For Front-Runner KO Tonight

Seven of the Democratic presidential contenders descend tonight on America's least-attractive metropolis for what promises to be the ugliest debate of the season.

Both Barack Obama and John Edwards are scrambling to slam the brakes on Hillary Rodham Clinton's runaway lead. With the Iowa caucuses about two months away, double-digit spreads are forcing the rest of the pack to be more forceful and, dare we say, meaner than they've been so far.

The M-word might be unfair, but it's inevitable because of Clinton's gender. Everyone wants to avoid a Rick Lazio moment, in which they attempt to treat her as they would a male candidate and end up coming off as ungentlemanly.

On the other hand, Clinton isn't just any woman. She's in the lead because she's been exuding forcefulness and strength throughout her campaign -- a breakdown in most polls shows she scores highest on national security issues, not personality. It also doesn't hurt that a large swath of the Democratic left is waving the white flag as they signal their support for the former first lady. So Obama, Edwards and the rest -- Christopher Dodd, Joseph Biden, Bill Richardson and Dennis Kucinich -- will take time to remind primary voters of Clinton's many apparent weaknesses.

Continue reading "Yo, Hillary! Field Hopes For Front-Runner KO Tonight"

Posted at 6:45 PM
Posted to: Barack Obama, Bill Clinton, Bill Richardson, Bush Administration, Campaigns, Christopher Dodd, Democrats, Dennis Kucinich, Hillary Rodham Clinton, John Edwards, Joseph Biden, Michael Mukasey, Mike Gravel, WH 2008
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October 02, 2007

Clinton & The Democrats Lead In Third-Quarter Fundraising

As if further proof was needed, the third-quarter fundraising totals trickling out of the top presidential campaigns this week are demonstrating that in the 2008 White House race, the Democrats have the almighty dollar on their side.

And despite breathless media reports crowning Barack Obama the king of the third quarter yesterday, Democratic front-runner Hillary Rodham Clinton's campaign reports this morning that she raised $27 million ($22 million for the primary) in the past three months -- $7 million more than her closest rival. Looks like Democrats are going to have an even harder time combating Clinton's image as the inevitable nominee.

Continue reading "Clinton & The Democrats Lead In Third-Quarter Fundraising"

Posted at 10:40 AM
Posted to: Barack Obama, Bill Richardson, Campaigns, Democrats, Fred Thompson, Hillary Rodham Clinton, John Edwards, John McCain, Mitt Romney, Republicans, Rudy Giuliani, WH 2008
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August 20, 2007

The Dems' Iowa Debate: Knocking Obama, Stuck On The War

"Let's pick on the new kid!"

Such went the kickoff of yesterday's Democratic debate in Iowa. ABC News' George Stephanopoulos didn't mince words, in a repeat of his fine performance as GOP debate moderator two weeks ago. First question: Is Barack Obama ready to be president?

A good question to ask on behalf of those who've watched Obama's political evolution and are beginning to wonder if his candidacy isn't all just heat and light.

Hillary Rodham Clinton, who can be held responsible for planting doubts in the ether about Obama's readiness, opted to stay above the fray and sidestep the topic. Saying she would comment only on her own qualifications, she added, "So I think we have a great group of candidates. You don't have to be against anybody. This is a great problem to have."

Ice cream and puppies for everyone!

Continue reading "The Dems' Iowa Debate: Knocking Obama, Stuck On The War"

Posted at 5:20 PM
Posted to: Barack Obama, Bill Richardson, Bush Administration, Campaigns, Democrats, Hillary Rodham Clinton, John Edwards, Joseph Biden, President Bush, Republicans, WH 2008
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August 10, 2007

Queer Eyes On The Candidate Guys

The gay vote will be reliably Democratic for the foreseeable future, but the LGBT community has a real beef with the party: the M word.

That's marriage, of course. Most of the Democratic leadership and all the 2008 presidential front-runners essentially back marriage rights for gays but without the "marriage" part. During last night's Human Rights Campaign/Logo forum, Barack Obama (perhaps unknowingly) summed up that contradiction succinctly. "You know, semantics may be important to some," he said. "From my perspective, what I'm interested in is making sure that those legal rights are available to people."

The question was whether his backing of civil unions but not marriage for gays was tantamount to a separate-but-equal policy. Gay marriage-backers have a point in that criticism, and Obama's response wasn't much of an answer.

Continue reading "Queer Eyes On The Candidate Guys"

Posted at 12:51 PM
Posted to: Barack Obama, Bill Richardson, Christopher Dodd, Democrats, Dennis Kucinich, Gay Rights, Hillary Rodham Clinton, John Edwards, Joseph Biden, Mike Gravel, Republicans, WH 2008
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July 23, 2007

Liveblogging The Democratic Debate: Clinton, Biden Come Out On Top

End note. Overall, a pretty fun evening, insofar as debates this early in the cycle can be fun. We already know that the front-runners are not happy with the debate lineups, but a certain senator from New York would be wise not to look a gift horse in the mouth.

She has come out looking surefooted at every meet-up so far, and that has to help answer all those woman-Bill-Iraq-vote clouds that hang over her head. Obama, meanwhile, was shakier this evening.

Democrats are learning to their frustration that control of Congress isn't enough. Not only do they need a more substantial majority in the Senate, but they need to not have a veto-wielding president standing in their way. In short, Democrats are out to win next year, and a made-for-TV bio and bucketloads of charm may just not cut it in '08.

The surprise of the evening was Biden, who has the resume but lacks the name recognition (and cash) to make headway in this contest. He delivered some of the more memorable lines of the night and, as his camp frequently and loudly points out, has the only detailed exit plan from Iraq. The Kuciniches and Cindy Sheehans of the nation will never accede to this, but the reality of the situation in Iraq is there is no good way to leave, just less bad ones. Both Clinton and Biden took pains to explain that tonight; we'll see if it starts sinking in with the MoveOn segment of the base.

No gaffes, no Ron Paul moments. The best thing the Democrats have going for them is unity on Iraq (more or less), President Bush, and being on the right side of voters on domestic issues. The worst thing they have going for them is probably history. We'll see how the Republicans fare in this format on Sept. 17 -- by which time everyone's political fortunes could be reversed depending on the highly anticipated U.S. report on progress in Iraq, due Sept. 15.

Continue reading "Liveblogging The Democratic Debate: Clinton, Biden Come Out On Top"

Posted at 10:16 PM
Posted to: Barack Obama, Bill Richardson, Campaigns, Christopher Dodd, Democrats, Dennis Kucinich, Hillary Rodham Clinton, John Edwards, Joseph Biden, Mike Gravel, Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich, Republicans
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Democratic Debate Preview: Confronting The YouTube Generation

How are you gonna fix Social Security?

How will you make health care available to all?

Can I be your intern?

These are just a few of the questions Americans have posed to the Democratic presidential candidates in tonight's CNN/YouTube debate, which The Gate will be liveblogging.

In some ways, tonight's format, in which candidates must answer 30-second-long video questions selected by CNN, is a natural fit for this slate. The YouTube generation tends to skew young and anti-Bush -- so much so that unhappy conservatives have started a rival site.

There's an argument to be made that the 2008 presidential race is the Democrats' to lose. But none of the candidates -- and that includes you, Senator Clinton -- should expect a free ride to the White House. The answer to that riddle lies on Capitol Hill.

Continue reading "Democratic Debate Preview: Confronting The YouTube Generation"

Posted at 5:14 PM
Posted to: Barack Obama, Bill Richardson, Campaigns, Christopher Dodd, Democrats, Hillary Rodham Clinton, John Edwards, Joseph Biden, WH 2008
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June 04, 2007

Talking Tough On Iraq In New Hampshire

Iraq was the prevailing issue in Sunday night's Democratic debate at St. Anselm College in New Hampshire, the second among Democratic presidential hopefuls so far this cycle.

In the otherwise tame debate, tension mounted when former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards sought to distinguish himself as the most vocal opponent of the Iraq war. Initially trying not to name names, Edwards scolded Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama for casting their latest votes against the Iraq funding bill quietly rather than leading the charge on the issue.

Obama replied that Edwards was four-and-a-half years late in his crusade against the war and reiterated that he himself was opposed to the war from the start. Edwards did give Obama credit for that. Clinton later pointed out that while the differences between the Democratic candidates are "minor," the differences between the Democratic field and the Republican contenders for the White House are "major." Most of the Democrats agreed that in general, they are united in the effort to end the war.

Continue reading "Talking Tough On Iraq In New Hampshire"

Posted at 11:09 AM
Posted to: Barack Obama, Bill Richardson, Campaigns, Christopher Dodd, Democrats, Hillary Rodham Clinton, John Edwards, Joseph Biden, WH 2008
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June 01, 2007

Ads Zero In On Democratic Debate

One day after Connecticut Sen. Christopher Dodd (D) sought to shift the political dialogue in the early primary states from Iraq to the environment, New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson joined his ranks.

Ahead of Sunday's Democratic presidential debate in New Hampshire, both candidates have new ads touting themselves as leaders in the fight against global warming. Dodd launched his forward-looking spot, which promotes his plan to curb carbon emissions, on Hawkeye and Granite State airwaves on Thursday.

Richardson's newest ad highlights his past achievements as governor. Especially prevalent in the spot are the strides he says New Mexico has made in developing renewable energy.

The Republican National Committee also put in its two pre-debate cents with a new radio ad in New Hampshire. The spot, which can be heard on the RNC Web site, features a veteran calling out Barack Obama, Hillary Rodham Clinton and John Edwards by name and asking the candidates to defend their declarations of support for the troops.

See Ad Spotlight (subscription) on Monday at noon EDT for more on these spots.

Posted at 4:45 PM
Posted to: Bill Richardson, Campaigns, Christopher Dodd, Climate Change, Democrats, WH 2008
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