Pure Horserace: Early Birds Get Burned?
Mitt Romney could hardly have moved faster to distance himself from Idaho Sen. Larry Craig, the once high-profile supporter of Romney's presidential campaign now embroiled in a scandal tied to his arrest in an airport bathroom. Just hours after learning that Craig had pleaded guilty to charges related to a sex sting at the Minneapolis airport, his ties to Romney's campaign were severed. A day later, the candidate himself had tough words about Craig in a television interview. "Once again, we've found people in Washington have not lived up to the level of respect and dignity that we would expect for somebody that gets elected to a position of high influence," Romney said in a CNBC appearance.
As many reports have chronicled over the past two days, Romney is hardly the only candidate to have seen supporters involved in scandals. A state representative in Florida who had signed on with John McCain left the campaign after being arrested for soliciting sex at a highway rest stop. Rudy Giuliani's South Carolina chairman, and that state's treasurer, was gone after being busted for cocaine trafficking.
Nor is it just Republicans who have had associations with some questionable characters. Barack Obama has dealt with questions about his past relationship with indicted Illinois developer Tony Rezco. Today Los Angeles Times reports on an emerging fund-raising powerhouse for Democrats, including Hillary Clinton, who also appears to be a fugitive from California justice.
It isn't a new story, and the narratives are familiar. But whether the scandals revolve around money, sex or drugs, we seem to be experiencing a wave of them. The majority of cases have involved Republican politicians of late, but there are dangers for presidential campaigns in both parties - and the early start to this campaign simply heightens the chances of being caught up in them.
Because candidates literally have been racing since early in the year to gobble up contributions and endorsements from across the political landscape, they've collectively accumulated more of both than ever before. The sheer numbers, and the length of time involved, greatly increase the chances that some contributions will be called into question or a supporter will do something that reflects poorly on the campaign. So far, none of these examples has done much damage to any of the candidates, but the risk of a big hit has increased in this ultra-competitive environment. Call it just another unintended consequence of the never-ending campaign. - Vaughn Ververs
Now It's The Republicans' Turn: Last weekend the Democratic National Committee paved the way for enacting harsh penalties against Florida if that state's Democrats hold a binding primary on Jan. 29, earlier than DNC rules allow. But don't think Republicans are content to let their own nominating process descend into chaos; they're about to take action against a few states, too.
Like the Democrats, the Republican National Committee allows only a few states to hold primaries in January. According to the New York Times, the GOP is prepared to strip Florida Republicans of at least half their delegation to the party's 2008 convention. But the GOP has another target, too: New Hampshire. RNC rules about primary dates are even more strict than those set by the DNC, meaning that if New Hampshire holds its primary in early January, as expected, it could also lose half its delegates.
Other states facing penalties include South Carolina, where the Republican Party moved its primary to Jan. 19, Michigan, where the state legislature is in the process of enacting a Jan. 15 primary, and Wyoming, where the Republican Party has opted to hold a nominating convention on Jan. 5.
People who bemoan the lack of bipartisanship in Washington may not have had this in mind when they hoped for cooperation between parties. But with both of them not backing down against their rebellious state parties, it at least becomes more likely order will be restored - for the 2012 election. - David Miller
Dodd's Campaign Catching Fire? Despite what looks like a lot of hard work, plenty of experience and positions well in line with his party's base, Democrat Chris Dodd hasn't seen his presidential campaign gain much traction. But at least for one day, Dodd can proudly boast of snagging a fairly significant endorsement, that of the International Association of Fire Fighters, which was announced today in Washington.
"There are many capable candidates this year, some of whom may have more celebrity. But for firefighters, it came down to the more substantive question of who we trust to keep America safe when the unexpected occurs and who we trust to fight for our families," union President Harold Schaitberger said in a statement. "Chris Dodd offers proven leadership in protecting our homeland and in fighting for issues that matter to America's working families."
Dodd is making the most of the endorsement, using it as the impetus for a three-day campaign swing through Iowa, New Hampshire and Nevada. This endorsement won't lift Dodd out of the second tier, but it could boost the campaign's morale, cause other organizations to give the Connecticut senator a second look and - most importantly - lend some credibility to Dodd's argument that his years of experience are a compelling asset. - David Miller
'Til The Last Dog … Right at the top of the reasons why Bill Clinton was able to claim the mantle of the "Comeback Kid" in the 1992 New Hampshire primary was the fact that he simply outworked everyone else. Despite revelations about his relationship with Gennifer Flowers and questions about his Vietnam draft deferments, Clinton relentlessly stumped the state, his hoarse voice promising to work for voters "till the last dog dies." New Hampshire voters rewarded Clinton with a second-place finish that played like a win and helped launch him into the White House.
So what will the now-former president and his spouse, Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton, be doing as the country lounges around for the end-of-summer holiday? Campaigning in New Hampshire and Iowa, of course. The couple will be stumping in New Hampshire this coming Sunday, then in Iowa on Labor Day. It would seem a good time for a trail break, as even the most attentive voters in these early states will probably have their minds on matter outside of the campaign. But it's a reminder that, even as the front-runner, the Clinton campaign will fight for the nomination "till the last dog dies." - Vaughn Ververs
In Katrina's Wake: Two years have passed since Hurricane Katrina and the widely-criticized federal response to the worst natural disaster in U.S. history. Polls at the time showed high public dissatisfaction with that response and its overall faith in the government to respond to a crisis. Has the public changed its mind after two years? That question is explored by CBS News director of surveys Kathy Frankovic in this week's installment of Poll Positions. Kathy finds that overall faith in government has rebounded - but the same can't be said for opinions on rebuilding the Gulf Coast. Learn more by reading this week's column.
Editor's note: Pure Horserace is a daily update of political news as interpreted by the political observers at CBSNews.com. Click here to sign up for the e-mail version.
By Vaughn Ververs and David Miller