Pure Horserace: What's Old Is New Again
Sen. John McCain's effort to revitalize his campaign ahead of this week's official kickoff continued Monday, with the former Republican front-runner speaking in Washington on reducing U.S. dependence on foreign oil and addressing the threat posed by global warming. Much like a speech earlier this month on fiscal policy — one that saw McCain promising to veto any legislation with "pork barrel" spending — Monday's remarks included criticism of McCain's own party.
The Arizona senator said climate change wasn't "a Hollywood invention" — which represents an indirect dismissal of some of his Republican colleagues, such as Sen. James Inhofe of Oklahoma, who have claimed that global warming is either unproven or is simply a hoax driven by liberal interest groups and a Hollywood elite that produces films like "An Inconvenient Truth," which featured former Vice President Al Gore warning of the dangers of global warming.
The meat of McCain's speech included proposals to set caps on emissions of carbon and other greenhouse gases, as well as incentives to prod industries to use alternative sources of energy. He also tied his energy policy to national security, using strong words to criticize the effect foreign oil dependence has had on American foreign policy. "As we sacrifice blood and treasure, some of our gas dollars flow to the fanatics who build the bombs, hatch the plots and carry out attacks on our soldiers and citizens," he said. "The transfer of American wealth to the Middle East helps sustain the conditions on which terrorists prey."
If McCain's fiscal policy speech were geared at winning back fiscal conservatives, these comments might be geared at moderates in the party who are concerned about the environment. McCain has also stayed on message regarding Iraq, even though some see his support of President Bush's policies as one of his biggest liabilities — but in the Republican primaries, tough talk on national security is still an asset.
The John McCain we've seen the past month — ever since his disappointing fundraising numbers came out — is decidedly different than the one who appeared meek and withdrawn on NBC's "Meet The Press" early this year. But while the early 2007 version of McCain didn't have a good start to his presidential campaign, it's important to remember that the one who ran in 2000 didn't win the nomination, either. Can reverting to his old form win this time around? Maybe so, now that he's shaken that "media darling" tag Republicans distrusted so much.
But Republicans also value consistency — just look at the stagnant poll numbers posted by Mitt Romney, who's been attacked for changing his positions on several issues. If McCain can't decide which version of himself to play, he could turn off the same people he's trying to win back. — David Miller
Gore Hype On The Rise Again: Those wishing for Al Gore to make a late entry into the presidential race had their hopes raised after the Oscar success of "An Inconvenient Truth" and the teasing jokes Gore made at the ceremony. But as the weeks passed, nothing happened. Until now. Well, maybe.
Britain's Sunday Telegraph reported this weekend that two members of Gore's staff from his 2000 run "have been approached" about working for him again. But beware of the fine: Neither Gore nor anyone acting on his orders was the one doing the approaching. All that can be said is that Gore didn't bother stopping whoever is behind this shadow campaign-team-in-waiting. Given that Gore maintains a busy schedule and can't be expected to monitor the various draft movements surrounding him, it seems unlikely that Gore's inaction amounts to tacit approval.
Gore and Republican Newt Gingrich have very little in common, but they do share one thing: Neither is going to enter the presidential race unless they sense an opportunity. That might exist for Gingrich, since Republicans still seem dissatisfied with their options. But polls of Democrats indicate they're happy with the candidates they have to choose from.
Another part of the story that makes us skeptical: One of the former Gore aides quoted in the story mentions being asked about availability toward "the end of the year." While Gore can probably get a serious, well-funded campaign up and running fairly quickly, walking into New Hampshire and Iowa in November and expecting success in a field with so many big names is pushing the limits of reality, even for someone like Gore.
Gore would likely only enter the race if one of the Democratic front-runners suffers a collapse. But the practical reality is that such a collapse would have to happen before serious campaigning begins. So keep an eye on him through Labor Day — but after that, it could be too late. — David Miller
OMG, Obama Is Such A n00b, lol: Presidential debates this early in the campaign are usually meant for voters in early primary states. But a new debate announced Monday will be intended for everyone — or, at least, everyone who's online.
The Huffington Post, Yahoo and Slate Magazine have teamed up to host two online debates, one for each party, some time after Labor Day, The Associated Press reports. Both debates will let voters submit questions and post real-time responses to candidates' answers. The candidates will speak to viewers and each other though live video feeds.
The debates' sponsors have compared it to the Nixon-Kennedy debate in 1960, which might be a stretch — all the candidates will probably appear stiff and slightly blurry on streaming video. But it could be a sign of things to come. Earlier this year, Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama and John Edwards all lobbied the Democratic National Committee to limit the number of sanctioned debates because of the stress it put on their schedules. An online debate eliminates one of their major complaints — the need to seriously disrupt their travel schedules to attend.
An online debate allows the candidates to speak from wherever they like and, as soon as it's over, walk out the door and right into a rally or fundraiser. If the plan ends up working, it wouldn't be surprising for the Internet to become the candidates' new favorite debate venue. — David Miller
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By David Miller