All Blog Posts from Horserace

Robert Kennedy Jr. has told New York Gov. David Paterson he is not interested in being appointed to the seat that will be vacated by Senator Hillary Clinton (and the same seat once held by his father) if she is confirmed as the next Secretary of State, the New York Times reports. Kennedy has been among a lengthy list of names being circulated and he becomes the second to publicly bow out, joining Rep. Nita Lowey who yesterday said she was not interested. Paterson is reportedly interested in tapping someone from upstate New York, a woman or an Hispanic for the seat.

Kennedy, an environmental lawyer and activist, said he’s happy doing what he’s doing right now. “I have spent lots of time thinking about it,” he told the Times. “I have spent time talking with my uncle, by brothers, my cousin and, of course, my wife. And I think I’m in a good position right now doing what I’m doing.”

Reviews are flooding in on President-elect Obama’s selections for his national security and foreign policy team but one in particular stuck out of the in-box – a statement from former President Bill Clinton, who was quick to laud the selection of his wife, Hillary Clinton, to be Secretary of State. Here’s the full text:

As an American, I am thankful that President-elect Barack Obama has asked Hillary to be Secretary of State and that she has accepted. As her husband, I am deeply proud.

She is the right person for the job of helping to restore America's image abroad, end the war in Iraq, advance peace and increase our security, by building a future for our children with more partners and fewer adversaries, one of shared responsibilities and opportunities.

She has already earned the respect of foreign leaders and diplomats through her work to promote human rights and the empowerment of women through access to education, healthcare and economic opportunity. And Americans know, from her leadership in the Senate on national security, that she will always put the security, values and the interests of our people first.

In her service to the people of New York and our nation, Hillary has demonstrated the knowledge, passion, resilience, and capacity to learn that our country needs at this critical time. She loves being a Senator from New York, but as she has in all the thirty-seven years I've known her, she answered the call to serve. I commend President-Elect Obama for asking her to be a part of a great national security team. America will be well-served.

A little pre-feast political appetizer appears on the op-ed page of the Washington Post this morning, where authors Karl E. Meyer and Shareen Blair Brysac argue that the best replacement in the U.S. Senate for Hillary Clinton should she, as expected, become Secretary of State would be – her husband, former President Bill Clinton. From the op-ed:

Who in his party could question so historic and dazzling a choice? In a stroke, the appointment would provide Sen. Clinton's indefatigable husband with a fitting day job, serve the interests of a state beset by a meltdown in its most vital economic sector and offer a refreshing reverse twist on a tradition whereby deceased male senators, representatives or governors are succeeded by their widows.

One of the questions surrounding the potential appointment of Hillary Clinton to be Secretary of State is what she would do about the nearly $8 million in outstanding bills she has from her presidential campaign (as well as other debt). Federal law would prohibit her from actively raising money to retire the debt and the appearances might not be favorable for someone heading the State Department. Right on cue it seems, Clinton’s campaign organization sent out a fund-raising e-mail to supporters with a little bit of an urgent request:

We are living in a very special time in American history, with an election that has redefined the boundaries of possibility and set our nation on a positive path with new leadership.

Things are changing in Washington and we have reason to hope that the next four years will look much different and better than the last eight.

As we look forward to a new era in Washington, there is still one piece of unfinished business where Hillary needs your help.

We need to do all we can to help Hillary by acting now to reduce her remaining debt.

President-elect Barack Obama’s campaign was defined by a lack of drama – steady, methodical and virtually leak-proof. In the early days of the transition, however, the team that redefined stoic is finding things a little more chaotic in Washington. And no place is that more evident than the ongoing drama over the possible appointment of New York Senator Hillary Clinton to become Secretary of State.

Those who thought the primary drama was left behind at the Democratic convention in Denver (or at least on Election Day) may not have seen this one coming. What is very obvious at the moment is that Clinton is indeed being “vetted” for the post. What’s not so clear is whether all this fuss is worth the risks to the incoming administration.

On the surface, the consideration suggests some real reconciliation between the two former primary rivals. Clinton’s level of support for the Democratic nominee continued to dog the party long after the last votes were cast for the nomination. Many of her supporters were infuriated at what they felt to be a slight when the senator was not vetted to become the vice presidential running mate. And the split in the party dominated the initial days of the national convention.

Now she’s getting a serious look for one of the most important positions in the administration. But, as the New York Times and several other outlets have detailed, it’s not an uncomplicated matter due to former president Clinton’s post-presidential activities. Yet unrevealed sources of funding for his presidential library and the Clinton Foundation’s involvement with foreign governments are but two of the potential stumbling blocks on the way to getting it done.

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President-elect Barack Obama has a thing for Abraham Lincoln. He launched his presidential campaign at the old Illinois State House, the site of Lincoln’s “House Divided” speech and frequently alluded to the nation’s 16th president out on the stump. Just two weeks after his election, Mr. Obama told “60 Minutes” correspondent Steve Kroft last night that he’s been reading about Lincoln as he prepares to take office in January.

Several times, Mr. Obama has noted Lincoln’s decision to bring his political adversaries into his administration, something chronicled in great detail in the Doris Kearns Goodwin book, “Team of Rivals” – specifically three men who Lincoln surprisingly defeated for the Republican nomination in 1860. Among the “rivals” were New York Senator William Seward (who became Secretary of State), Ohio Governor Salmon Chase (Treasury Secretary), and former Missouri Congressman Edward Bates (Attorney General). Also included in Lincoln’s was Edwin Stanton, a prominent attorney who became Secretary of War and who, upon seeing Lincoln for the first time early in their careers called him a “long-armed ape.”

Sound familiar? Mr. Obama has already tapped into his own primary rivals by tapping Vice President-elect Joe Biden and is reportedly vetting New York Senator Hillary Clinton (and her husband) for a cabinet post, possible Secretary of State (a la Seward). And the president-elect will meet today with his general election opponent John McCain amid speculation that the new administration will include at least one Republican member. Newsweek has much more about the similarities between the two men from Illinois.

Hillary Clinton has sent a fundraising email out through her political action committee on behalf of Minnesota Senate candidate Al Franken, whose electoral battle against rival Norm Coleman is headed for a recount.

"Just 206 votes," the email opens. "That's the difference separating Al Franken and Norm Coleman in the Minnesota Senate race -- 206 votes out of about 3 million cast."

"In the coming days, Minnesota officials will carefully count every vote to make sure they get the most accurate count possible," the email continues. "But once again, Republicans want to interfere any way they can with the vote-counting. They're setting up legal challenges and questioning the voting officials' integrity."

The email goes on to request donations to Franken's campaign to "make sure every vote is counted."

Democrats now effectively control 57 Senate seats. If this race, along with the other two outstanding contests in Alaska and Georgia, goes their way, they will have the 60 votes necessary for a filibuster-proof majority.

CBS News’ Election and Survey Unit’s survey analyst extraordinaire Jennifer De Pinto goes inside the exit polls from last week’s election and finds some interesting nuggets about those Hillary Clinton supporters who voted for John McCain:

As voters left the polls on Election Day, many were asked how they would have voted if the election match-up were between Hillary Clinton and John McCain rather than Barack Obama and McCain. 52 percent said they would have backed the former Democratic candidate; 41 percent would have voted for McCain, wider than Obama’s 7-point margin over McCain.

Interestingly, 16 percent of McCain voters said they would have voted for Clinton, the Democrat, if she had been her party’s nominee.

So who were these potential cross-over voters?

They were older: 61% of them were age 45 and above.

53% were women; while 47% were men.

43% of these voters who supported McCain but would have backed Clinton if she were in the race described themselves as Independents. 31% were Republicans; while 26% were Democrats.

84% of them were white – higher than the electorate at large. 12% were Hispanic, compared to 9% of the total electorate.

21% of McCain voters who would have supported Clinton said race was factor in their vote. 19% of McCain voters overall said race was factor in their vote.

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Former President Bill Clinton will be making his first joint appearance of the campaign with Barack Obama in Orlando, Florida tonight. This afternoon, he and Hillary Clinton have sent out a get-out-the vote video on Obama’s behalf. Importantly, the video was not sent from the Obama campaign but to supporters of Hillary Clinton from her HillPac organization.

“We worked awfully hard in this election because you’ve got a lot at stake,” Bill Clinton begins. “It’s still important, it’s more important than ever,” he continues. “Boy, is that true,” Hillary continues, “and we’re asking everybody to get involved. Get out, do what you can, talk to your friends and your neighbors, make those phone calls, walk those streets – get the word out that this election is really important.” Bill Clinton: “Senator Obama and Senator Biden need your help November 4th.” Hillary Clinton: “So please everybody, get involved and don’t forget to register and don’t forget to vote November 4th.” Watch it:

CBS News has confirmed that Bill Clinton and Barack Obama have planned a joint appearance before Election Day. Politico first reported the news.

The former president, whose wife lost a hard-fought primary to Obama, has not always had kind words for the Democratic nominee.

At one point, he compared Obama's experience level to his own in 1988, when he decided not to run, because “I really didn’t think I knew enough, and had served enough and done enough to run.” He called Obama's candidacy a "fairytale" and compared it to that of Jesse Jackson, which was seen as a slight by Obama loyalists.

But Clinton, who, as Politico notes, "moved slowly toward a full-throated endorsement this summer," has since offered kind words for his wife's former rival.

"Barack Obama is ready to lead America and restore American leadership in the world. Ready to preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States," Clinton said at the Democratic National Convention. "Barack Obama is ready to be President of the United States."

Details about the joint appearance on the stump – the first for the pair – have not yet emerged.

UPDATE: A Democratic source tells CBS News the joint appearance will be Wednesday night in Orlando, Florida, and that Hillary Clinton will not be present.