Morning Road Map
By Michelle Levi and Steve Chaggaris
Both candidates begin a week-long focus on the economy today. OBAMA starts off with what the campaign is calling a "Discussion on Economic Security for American Families" in Charlotte, N.C. at 10:30 am.
McCAIN will tackle the subject at a town hall meeting in Denver at 2pm ET. According to prepared remarks released by the campaign, McCain will criticize both OBAMA and the Bush Administration. “Senator Obama's tax increases will hurt the economy even more, and destroy jobs across this country,” McCain will say. “His plan will hurt the American worker and family. It will hurt the economy and cost us jobs… At a time of increasing gas and food prices, American families need tax relief and I, not my opponent, will deliver it.” He's also expected to say, “this Congress and this Administration have failed to meet their responsibilities to manage the government. Government has grown by 60 percent in the last eight years. That is simply inexcusable. When I'm president, I will order a stem to stern review of government, modernize how it does business and save billions of dollars. I will veto every single bill with wasteful spending.”
***NY Times' Nagourney writes, "Economy's Move to the Fore Poses Problems for Both Candidates": "Mr. McCain, Republican of Arizona, has been shadowed by his statements earlier in the campaign that he is not expert in the subject of the economy and by the likelihood that voters will associate him with the economic policies of the Bush administration. He has embraced President Bush’s stands on central issues like tax cuts and trade policy... Mr. Obama, Democrat of Illinois, has had difficulty connecting with working-class voters, and his more ambitious responses to economic problems like expanding access to health insurance would be paid for in part by tax increases, always a risky proposition." Full Article
***Politico's Allen: "McCain promises to balance budget": Full Article
***AP, "McCain touts plan to create jobs, help workers": Full Article
NEW OVERNIGHT:
CBS News has learned OBAMA plans to accept his nomination at Invesco Field in Denver, rather than the Pepsi Center, according to Democratic officials. The costs are expected to be enormous for the cash-strapped Democratic Convention committee but Invesco Field can handle more than 75,000 spectators and the Obama campaign is excited to have the better-looking venue for his acceptance speech.
***LA Times, "Protesters gearing up for the political conventions -- Liberal activists plan to take a bipartisan approach to their demonstrations: Republicans and Democrats will be targeted." Full Article
Wall Street Journal reports, "Obama Faces Resistance From Top Supporters Of Clinton": "Sen. Barack Obama, the presumed Democratic presidential nominee, faces dissent from dozens of top fund-raisers and other supporters of former rival Sen. Hillary Clinton, who are angry over how she was treated during their bruising primary battle and are hesitating to back Sen. Obama... The Clinton holdouts are typically most angry about what they say was the media's sexist treatment of Sen. Clinton during the campaign. And though few, if any, blame Sen. Obama directly, they fault the Illinois senator and other party leaders for what they say was failing to do enough to stop it." Full Article
Vets for Freedom released an ad called “Finish the Job,” which features veterans’ testimonials to the progress made in Iraq and Afghanistan. The veterans group announced plans to spend $1.5 million dollars on ads this election cycle. This spot will run in battleground states and on national cable.
An independent-expenditure arm of the RNC has begun a 10-day, $3 million ad campaign in swing states attacking Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) as “just the party line.” See the 30-second ad, “Balance,” here
***Washington Times, "GOP launches television ad blitz in swing states": Full Article
***NY Times, "New Group Linked to G.O.P. Unveils Ad Attacking Obama": Full Article
***NY Daily News, "Swift Boat Veterans for Truth gear up for 2008 White House race": Full Article
IRAQ POLITICS
Politico, "Iraq not top of Obama's foreign agenda": Full Article
Christian Science Monitor, "As Afghanistan boils, McCain keeps focus on Iraq": Full Article
Washington Post's Dionne, "The Stand That Obama Can't Fudge": "Obama needs to be careful not to cede the high ground on Iraq. Because Obama's strongest argument for himself on foreign policy rests on his sound judgment in opposing the war from the beginning, any appearance of waffling on the issue is especially dangerous." Full Article
Washington Times' Lambro writes, "But perhaps the most stunning political development after the surge's success is a grudging movement within the Obama campaign to recognize that the situation in Iraq has improved. The candidate has given signs he is ready to scale back his defeatist-driven plans for a complete military pullout should he win the presidency in November." Full Article
McCAIN AND CONSERVATIVES
Washington Post reports, "Conservative activists are preparing to do battle with allies of Sen. John McCain in advance of September's Republican National Convention, hoping to prevent his views on global warming, immigration, stem cell research and campaign finance from becoming enshrined in the party's official declaration of principles." Full Article
Meantime, Washington Times writes, "Social conservatives warming to McCain": "In the past week, Mr. McCain won over a major group of social conservatives, thanks to personal appeals, and the campaign has made personnel moves appealing to religious voters." Full Article
OBAMA AND CONSERVATIVES
San Francisco Chronicle, "Why some conservatives are backing Obama": Full Article
Washington Times' Williams, "Obamacans – Doing what's right... for all the wrong reasons": Full Article
VEEPSTAKES
Bloomberg News, "Romney, McCain's `Logical' Choice, Must Overcome Primary Animus": Full Article
ALSO:
NY Sun, "Latino Vote Is in Play in Presidential Contest": Full Article
Stu Rothenberg writes, "Obama has a far easier road to the White House than Republican Sen. John McCain (Ariz.). The Illinois Senator merely has to take advantage of the political current, while McCain must swim against it, persuading voters to support him in spite of his party and Bush’s performance. Finally, Obama is a great orator, while McCain is not. The Arizonan has a wonderful story to tell and is a true American hero, but he is not nearly as charismatic as Obama. And he is 71 years old, which does not present an ideal visual contrast with the Democrat. This isn’t a tough climb for McCain — it’s a veritable Mount Everest. And yet, it’s simply too soon to declare the presidential race over. Especially since it has barely begun." Full Article
USA Today, "Obama showed independent streak in lobbyist dealings": These days, Obama says lobbyists are part of the problem with Washington, and he refuses to accept their fundraising help. But during his eight years in Springfield, Ill., Obama played golf and basketball with them and hit them up for campaign donations, according to records and interviews. He shared meals with them, though he was careful to pay his own way, they say. Obama also accepted lobbyist money when he ran for the U.S. Senate in 2004, and he later used his influence to help secure grants for 16 Illinois-based institutions represented by six of his lobbyist contributors, public records show." Full Article
Chicago Tribune's Byrne writes, "Obama's cash, spin piling up": "David Plouffe, manager of Sen. Barack Obama's presidential campaign, keeps sending me e-mails asking me to cough up money because the presumptive Democratic nominee's fundraising is, supposedly, as pure as the driven snow. Somehow, my name got on Obama's list of prospective suckers, and for months I've read this song and dance about how he has freed himself from the tentacles of special interests. This is baloney." Full Article
A new AP-Yahoo! poll shows, "Ask people to blurt out their first words about the two presidential candidates and one in five say "change" or "outsider" for Barack Obama and "old" for John McCain, according to an Associated Press-Yahoo! News poll released Monday." Full Article
NY Times, "Obama's Organizing Years, Guiding Others and Finding Himself": "Mr. Obama’s three-year stretch as a grass-roots organizer has figured prominently, if not profoundly, in his own narrative of his life. ... In recent days, Mr. Obama has imbued those years with even greater significance, invoking them last week as inspiration for his plan to deliver social services through religious organizations. He told a conference of the African Methodist Episcopal Church on Saturday that as a community organizer he 'let Jesus Christ into my life' and 'I dedicated myself to discovering his truth and carrying out his works.' It is clear that the benefit of those years to Mr. Obama dwarfs what he accomplished. [Community organizer Gerald] Kellman said that Mr. Obama had built the organization’s following among needy residents and black ministers, but 'on issues, we made very little progress, nothing that would change poverty on the South Side of Chicago.'" Full Article
NY Times' Kristol asks, "So Where's [Strategist Mike] Murphy?": "[T]he full plan, as I understand it, was — and is — to have [Steve] Schmidt, a good operative and tactician, take over day-to-day operations at headquarters, while bringing Murphy on both to travel with McCain and as chief strategist. But McCain hesitated to carry out both steps of the plan at once, worried about an overload of turmoil. And Murphy’s arrival would mean a fair amount of turmoil. The current McCain campaign is chock full of G.O.P. establishment types, many of whom aren’t great fans of the irreverent Murphy. Murphy’s also made no secret of his low opinion of the Bush-Rove political machine that has produced many of these operatives. And Murphy hasn’t made his possible entry into the campaign smoother by telling a New York Times reporter the other day that 'the depressingly self-absorbed McCain campaign machine needs to get out of the way' of its candidate." Full Article
AP asks, "What kind of life awaits next presidential kids?": Full Article
Both candidates begin a week-long focus on the economy today. OBAMA starts off with what the campaign is calling a "Discussion on Economic Security for American Families" in Charlotte, N.C. at 10:30 am.
McCAIN will tackle the subject at a town hall meeting in Denver at 2pm ET. According to prepared remarks released by the campaign, McCain will criticize both OBAMA and the Bush Administration. “Senator Obama's tax increases will hurt the economy even more, and destroy jobs across this country,” McCain will say. “His plan will hurt the American worker and family. It will hurt the economy and cost us jobs… At a time of increasing gas and food prices, American families need tax relief and I, not my opponent, will deliver it.” He's also expected to say, “this Congress and this Administration have failed to meet their responsibilities to manage the government. Government has grown by 60 percent in the last eight years. That is simply inexcusable. When I'm president, I will order a stem to stern review of government, modernize how it does business and save billions of dollars. I will veto every single bill with wasteful spending.”
***NY Times' Nagourney writes, "Economy's Move to the Fore Poses Problems for Both Candidates": "Mr. McCain, Republican of Arizona, has been shadowed by his statements earlier in the campaign that he is not expert in the subject of the economy and by the likelihood that voters will associate him with the economic policies of the Bush administration. He has embraced President Bush’s stands on central issues like tax cuts and trade policy... Mr. Obama, Democrat of Illinois, has had difficulty connecting with working-class voters, and his more ambitious responses to economic problems like expanding access to health insurance would be paid for in part by tax increases, always a risky proposition." Full Article
***Politico's Allen: "McCain promises to balance budget": Full Article
***AP, "McCain touts plan to create jobs, help workers": Full Article
NEW OVERNIGHT:
CBS News has learned OBAMA plans to accept his nomination at Invesco Field in Denver, rather than the Pepsi Center, according to Democratic officials. The costs are expected to be enormous for the cash-strapped Democratic Convention committee but Invesco Field can handle more than 75,000 spectators and the Obama campaign is excited to have the better-looking venue for his acceptance speech.
***LA Times, "Protesters gearing up for the political conventions -- Liberal activists plan to take a bipartisan approach to their demonstrations: Republicans and Democrats will be targeted." Full Article
Wall Street Journal reports, "Obama Faces Resistance From Top Supporters Of Clinton": "Sen. Barack Obama, the presumed Democratic presidential nominee, faces dissent from dozens of top fund-raisers and other supporters of former rival Sen. Hillary Clinton, who are angry over how she was treated during their bruising primary battle and are hesitating to back Sen. Obama... The Clinton holdouts are typically most angry about what they say was the media's sexist treatment of Sen. Clinton during the campaign. And though few, if any, blame Sen. Obama directly, they fault the Illinois senator and other party leaders for what they say was failing to do enough to stop it." Full Article
Vets for Freedom released an ad called “Finish the Job,” which features veterans’ testimonials to the progress made in Iraq and Afghanistan. The veterans group announced plans to spend $1.5 million dollars on ads this election cycle. This spot will run in battleground states and on national cable.
An independent-expenditure arm of the RNC has begun a 10-day, $3 million ad campaign in swing states attacking Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) as “just the party line.” See the 30-second ad, “Balance,” here
***Washington Times, "GOP launches television ad blitz in swing states": Full Article
***NY Times, "New Group Linked to G.O.P. Unveils Ad Attacking Obama": Full Article
***NY Daily News, "Swift Boat Veterans for Truth gear up for 2008 White House race": Full Article
IRAQ POLITICS
Politico, "Iraq not top of Obama's foreign agenda": Full Article
Christian Science Monitor, "As Afghanistan boils, McCain keeps focus on Iraq": Full Article
Washington Post's Dionne, "The Stand That Obama Can't Fudge": "Obama needs to be careful not to cede the high ground on Iraq. Because Obama's strongest argument for himself on foreign policy rests on his sound judgment in opposing the war from the beginning, any appearance of waffling on the issue is especially dangerous." Full Article
Washington Times' Lambro writes, "But perhaps the most stunning political development after the surge's success is a grudging movement within the Obama campaign to recognize that the situation in Iraq has improved. The candidate has given signs he is ready to scale back his defeatist-driven plans for a complete military pullout should he win the presidency in November." Full Article
McCAIN AND CONSERVATIVES
Washington Post reports, "Conservative activists are preparing to do battle with allies of Sen. John McCain in advance of September's Republican National Convention, hoping to prevent his views on global warming, immigration, stem cell research and campaign finance from becoming enshrined in the party's official declaration of principles." Full Article
Meantime, Washington Times writes, "Social conservatives warming to McCain": "In the past week, Mr. McCain won over a major group of social conservatives, thanks to personal appeals, and the campaign has made personnel moves appealing to religious voters." Full Article
OBAMA AND CONSERVATIVES
San Francisco Chronicle, "Why some conservatives are backing Obama": Full Article
Washington Times' Williams, "Obamacans – Doing what's right... for all the wrong reasons": Full Article
VEEPSTAKES
Bloomberg News, "Romney, McCain's `Logical' Choice, Must Overcome Primary Animus": Full Article
ALSO:
NY Sun, "Latino Vote Is in Play in Presidential Contest": Full Article
Stu Rothenberg writes, "Obama has a far easier road to the White House than Republican Sen. John McCain (Ariz.). The Illinois Senator merely has to take advantage of the political current, while McCain must swim against it, persuading voters to support him in spite of his party and Bush’s performance. Finally, Obama is a great orator, while McCain is not. The Arizonan has a wonderful story to tell and is a true American hero, but he is not nearly as charismatic as Obama. And he is 71 years old, which does not present an ideal visual contrast with the Democrat. This isn’t a tough climb for McCain — it’s a veritable Mount Everest. And yet, it’s simply too soon to declare the presidential race over. Especially since it has barely begun." Full Article
USA Today, "Obama showed independent streak in lobbyist dealings": These days, Obama says lobbyists are part of the problem with Washington, and he refuses to accept their fundraising help. But during his eight years in Springfield, Ill., Obama played golf and basketball with them and hit them up for campaign donations, according to records and interviews. He shared meals with them, though he was careful to pay his own way, they say. Obama also accepted lobbyist money when he ran for the U.S. Senate in 2004, and he later used his influence to help secure grants for 16 Illinois-based institutions represented by six of his lobbyist contributors, public records show." Full Article
Chicago Tribune's Byrne writes, "Obama's cash, spin piling up": "David Plouffe, manager of Sen. Barack Obama's presidential campaign, keeps sending me e-mails asking me to cough up money because the presumptive Democratic nominee's fundraising is, supposedly, as pure as the driven snow. Somehow, my name got on Obama's list of prospective suckers, and for months I've read this song and dance about how he has freed himself from the tentacles of special interests. This is baloney." Full Article
A new AP-Yahoo! poll shows, "Ask people to blurt out their first words about the two presidential candidates and one in five say "change" or "outsider" for Barack Obama and "old" for John McCain, according to an Associated Press-Yahoo! News poll released Monday." Full Article
NY Times, "Obama's Organizing Years, Guiding Others and Finding Himself": "Mr. Obama’s three-year stretch as a grass-roots organizer has figured prominently, if not profoundly, in his own narrative of his life. ... In recent days, Mr. Obama has imbued those years with even greater significance, invoking them last week as inspiration for his plan to deliver social services through religious organizations. He told a conference of the African Methodist Episcopal Church on Saturday that as a community organizer he 'let Jesus Christ into my life' and 'I dedicated myself to discovering his truth and carrying out his works.' It is clear that the benefit of those years to Mr. Obama dwarfs what he accomplished. [Community organizer Gerald] Kellman said that Mr. Obama had built the organization’s following among needy residents and black ministers, but 'on issues, we made very little progress, nothing that would change poverty on the South Side of Chicago.'" Full Article
NY Times' Kristol asks, "So Where's [Strategist Mike] Murphy?": "[T]he full plan, as I understand it, was — and is — to have [Steve] Schmidt, a good operative and tactician, take over day-to-day operations at headquarters, while bringing Murphy on both to travel with McCain and as chief strategist. But McCain hesitated to carry out both steps of the plan at once, worried about an overload of turmoil. And Murphy’s arrival would mean a fair amount of turmoil. The current McCain campaign is chock full of G.O.P. establishment types, many of whom aren’t great fans of the irreverent Murphy. Murphy’s also made no secret of his low opinion of the Bush-Rove political machine that has produced many of these operatives. And Murphy hasn’t made his possible entry into the campaign smoother by telling a New York Times reporter the other day that 'the depressingly self-absorbed McCain campaign machine needs to get out of the way' of its candidate." Full Article
AP asks, "What kind of life awaits next presidential kids?": Full Article
