Starting Gate: Five Questions
There are no dog days of summer in a presidential campaign. The lengthy primary season might make many feel that they need a break from the constant drumbeat of presidential politics, there aren’t that many days left on the campaign calendar -- just 117 to be exact. Here are some of the question marks defining the contest as we head deeper into summer:
The stakes for Barack Obama’s looming overseas trip look to have gotten much higher in the wake of Iran’s saber-rattling of recent days. Having spent a year defending his stated intentions to engage in direct talks with adversarial leaders and nations, including Iran, how will this bellicose behavior impact the way Obama is perceived?
The candidates sparred over the issue, with Obama calling for more “aggressive” diplomacy and arguing that the missile tests Iran has so publicly conducted are proof that the current approach does not work. But this is the kind of development that could have broader importance, especially as the election nears. Obama might be the “change” candidate, but in an unstable world, is change something voters can believe in?
Did Jesse Jackson do Obama a favor by going after him on an “open” mic (and hasn’t Jackson done enough television interviews to know that when you’re sitting in front of a camera, the mic is almost always “open)? Jackson’s contention that Obama is “talking down to black people” when it comes to his faith-based initiative isn’t likely to be echoed among a demographic that supported Obama at the rate of about 90 percent during the primaries. And it helps create more distance between Obama and the often controversial Jackson for other voters Obama needs to win.
“Reverend Jackson is my dad and I'll always love him," said Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. "He should know how hard that I've worked for the last year and a half as a national co-chair of Barack Obama's presidential campaign. So I thoroughly reject and repudiate his ugly rhetoric. He should keep hope alive and any personal attacks and insults to himself.” Will anyone disagree?
They’re making a good show of it, but are Obama and Hillary Clinton getting their party back together? It’s not a great sign when the presumptive nominee shows up at a fund-raiser to help retire Clinton’s debate and almost forgets to make the pitch, as CBS News’ Maria Gavrilovic reports.
High-profile former Clinton aides have been flocking to new jobs as TV pundits and consultants but not many have been absorbed into the Obama campaign for the fall yet and newspaper stories are full of comments by discouraged donors on both sides. Will the rifts disappear by the time they all get to Denver?
What does John McCain do with President Bush at the GOP convention? After he wrapped up his primary victory, McCain made the symbolic trip to the White House to receive the blessing of the president. At the time, both said Bush would be helping out the campaign as his schedule allows. He must be a very busy man. Outside of some closed fund-raisers, the president has been a ghost in the McCain campaign.
While he continues to seek ways to distance himself from the president’s low approval ratings, Bush retains a strong base of support among many rank-and-file Republicans. President Clinton got a star turn at Al Gore’s 2000 convention. Will there be a Bush “night” in Minneapolis?
Do vice presidential picks matter? The conventional wisdom says not really, that they have the potential to do more harm than good. But this might be the year that they really do. For Obama, it’s his first really big decision, the chance to demonstrate the judgment he’s touted throughout the campaign. For McCain, it’s an opportunity to define the GOP in his image.
For the first time in a generation, there won’t be a Bush on the ticket, and most likely not a Clinton, either. These vice presidential nominees, win or lose, will be potential future presidents, so in that sense they matter. But will they have an impact on this election?
The candidates sparred over the issue, with Obama calling for more “aggressive” diplomacy and arguing that the missile tests Iran has so publicly conducted are proof that the current approach does not work. But this is the kind of development that could have broader importance, especially as the election nears. Obama might be the “change” candidate, but in an unstable world, is change something voters can believe in?
“Reverend Jackson is my dad and I'll always love him," said Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. "He should know how hard that I've worked for the last year and a half as a national co-chair of Barack Obama's presidential campaign. So I thoroughly reject and repudiate his ugly rhetoric. He should keep hope alive and any personal attacks and insults to himself.” Will anyone disagree?
High-profile former Clinton aides have been flocking to new jobs as TV pundits and consultants but not many have been absorbed into the Obama campaign for the fall yet and newspaper stories are full of comments by discouraged donors on both sides. Will the rifts disappear by the time they all get to Denver?
While he continues to seek ways to distance himself from the president’s low approval ratings, Bush retains a strong base of support among many rank-and-file Republicans. President Clinton got a star turn at Al Gore’s 2000 convention. Will there be a Bush “night” in Minneapolis?
For the first time in a generation, there won’t be a Bush on the ticket, and most likely not a Clinton, either. These vice presidential nominees, win or lose, will be potential future presidents, so in that sense they matter. But will they have an impact on this election?
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See all 34 CommentsWho in their right mind would want to be President of this country if they couldn''t cash in somehow either in office or after?
When do we Americans take personal responsibility for our lives. We lose jobs but do nothing to get new training for another job, we eat food that is bad for us and we ask the government to give us better healthcare, we don''''t educate our children at an early age at home to give them a headstart in school we want the government to improve education, we didn''''t get an education and we want welfare benefits for life and don''''t want to get the training that is offered, we buy gas guzzlers and question why the government is not controlling gas prices, we bought a house we knew we couldn''''t afford or were trying to keep up with our friends and were talked into and the bubble burst (educated people shouldn''''t do any of these).
Take responsibility for your lives fellow Americans
According to all polls it''s the GOP who needs a Plan B.
Good Luck!
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Posted by danstoned at 03:19 PM : Jul 10, 2008
I had all the respect in the world for the John McCain of 2000, but I have no idea where he went. The John McCain of 2008 is so radically different that he might as well be a completely separate person. Also he seems to be constantly confused as to where he is and what he''s supposed to be talking about. He''s no longer a maverick. Now he''s just a senile old man pandering to everyone to try to be president before he dies. It''s sad and pathetic.
McCain will not get the hard questions. On his plane there will be a special section up front where the "Good" reporters will be granted seats. Every evening McCain will join them for a Q&A.
Obama should cancel any talks he entertained with Iran. Their 2 day testing of missiles shows no restraint to have any type of mutual talks.
Jackson Jr. was right on telling his Dad to shut his pie hole if he is going to say negative words toward the man he is working for. It is quite hypocritical.
The National Journal ranked Obama most liberal: What a load of ***! Bernie Sanders is a self-described socialist and Obama was put ahead of Sanders??? Every 4 years the Nartional Journal tailors their rankings to suggest that the democratic presidential candidate is "the most liberal of all". It is utter B.S.
The GOP and right-wing tools like Dan Balz must think Americans are stupid if, despite the dozens upon dozens of flip-flops McCain has made to pander to the far right wing, they are trying to paint Obama as the flip-flopper.
Big Media is in bed with the GOP. Whenever you hear right wingers wail about the "liberal media", remember that the devil''s (right wing) greatest trick was convincing the world he (right wing media bias) didn''t exist. Look at how easy they are on McCain, and how critical they are of Obama.
By the way, THIS IS the SAME Phil Graham that helped to cause the sub prime mortgage meltdown!!
Will the news media finally begin to start giving the McCain campaign the same kind of critical coverage it''s been giving the Obama campaign?
Or will they continue to bury and cover up his various ''misstatements'' of fact, his 50+ flip flops on virtually every single issue, his refusal to provide real numbers to back up his vague economic proposals, etc.?
I''m guessing the press wont be able to shake their McCain mancrushes and will continue to act as a PRAVDA type mouthpiece for the McCain campaign.
2. President elect Obama.
3. President elect Obama.
4. President elect Obama.
5. President Obama 1/20/09-1/20/17.
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