IOWA
PRESIDENTIAL WATCH
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(caricatures by
Linda Eddy)
Thursday, March 27,
2008
GENERAL NEWS HEADLINES with excerpts
McCain leads by 10 over Obama, Clinton
Joe Klein: Give it to Gore
see also:
Lasting harm feared in Dem battle
GOP looks to 'McCain Democrats'
... The new analysis, calculated from a compilation of
the Gallup Organization’s daily polls between March 7 and 22, seems to
indicate that there are more “McCain Democrats” than the
much-ballyhooed “Obama Republicans” — or “Obamacans,” as they are
sometimes referred to.
Bush rakes in millions for GOP
Mr. Bush, after a $2 million fundraiser Tuesday night
at the Virginia home of a finance director for Sen. John McCain's
presidential campaign, had raised $30.1 million this year for various
Republican Party groups and candidates, compared with $66.6 million in
2007, according to numbers provided by the Republican National
Committee.
Conservatives more liberal givers
-- Although liberal families' incomes average 6 percent
higher than those of conservative families, conservative-headed
households give, on average, 30 percent more to charity than the
average liberal-headed household ($1,600 per year vs. $1,227).
-- Conservatives also donate more time and give more
blood.
-- Residents of the states that voted for John Kerry in
2004 gave smaller percentages of their incomes to charity than did
residents of states that voted for George Bush.
-- Bush carried 24 of the 25 states where charitable
giving was above average.
-- In the 10 reddest states, in which Bush got more
than 60 percent majorities, the average percentage of personal income
donated to charity was 3.5. Residents of the bluest states, which gave
Bush less than 40 percent, donated just 1.9 percent.
-- People who reject the idea that "government has a
responsibility to reduce income inequality" give an average of
four times more than people who accept that proposition.
"In liberal-speak, only a Democrat can be swiftboated.
THE CANDIDATES:
John McCain... today's headlines
with excerpts
McCain, Romney to campaign
together
In their first campaign swing as allies, Romney planned to meet McCain
at the airport in Salt Lake City and appear with the likely Republican
nominee at a fundraiser. The two then were traveling to Denver for a
second fundraiser.
McCain, who has struggled to raise campaign money, is on a weeklong
western fundraising swing.
Novak: McCain could score with
payroll tax cut
...As part of Democratic obsession with making a
progressive tax system still more progressive and
redistributing income, Obama actually would raise the
$97,500 cap on the payroll tax, and his $500 tax credit
would not change payroll tax withholding for employee or
employer. There is an open field for John McCain, if he
has the wit and will to enter it.
McCain: Collaborate more with
allies
"Our great power does not mean we can do whatever we want whenever we
want, nor should we assume we have all the wisdom and knowledge
necessary to succeed," the likely presidential nominee said in a
speech to the Los Angeles World Affairs Council. "We need to listen to
the views and respect the collective will of our democratic allies,"
McCain added.
speech transcript
see also:
McCain:
We can't do whatever we want
McCain works to answer age, health questions
...so far, McCain has kept any doubters at bay with a tough work
schedule. He holds lengthy town-hall meetings that include a speech
and question-and-answer session, and he holds court with reporters on
his bus on the way to events.
McCain impresses his much-younger aides with his stamina...
.. McCain is known to take the medication Vytorin to keep his
cholesterol low. He also takes vitamins. For exercise, he hikes up and
down the hills near his Sedona, Arizona, ranch.
Doctors say there is no reason why McCain would not be able to serve
as president.
But they note that certain health risk factors come into play for
Americans in their 70s, such as the potential for heart disease and
cancer.
McCain's unpredictability worries conservatives
But he's also bolted from the right often enough to invite suspicion
from true believers. Asked if McCain could be trusted as a
conservative, for instance, Sen. Robert Bennett, R-Utah, smiled and
said, "I'm going to dodge that question."
Chris Cox, chief lobbyist for the National Rifle Association, praised
most of McCain's votes on guns, but quickly added, "We've had some
high-profile disagreements."
Hillary Clinton... today's
headlines with excerpts
Poll: Hillary hits lowest
Elton John/Hillary fundraiser - illegal?
The question now is whether Elton John is contributing "indirectly" to
Mrs. Clinton's campaign and whether the candidate herself has sought
to "solicit, receive or accept contributions or donations" from a
foreign national, which is unlawful.
Clinton donors warn Pelosi on superdelegate rift
Pelosi responds:
Brendan Daly, a spokesman for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.),
responded late Wednesday night to
a letter by supporters of New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton
urging his boss to stop making comments about the superdelegates
respecting the will of Democratic primary voters and caucus-goers:
“Speaker Pelosi is confident that superdelegates will choose between
Sens. Clinton or Obama — our two strong candidates — before the
convention in August," Daly said. "That choice will be based on many
considerations, including respecting the decisions of millions of
Americans who have voted in primaries and participated in caucuses.
The speaker believes it would do great harm to the Democratic Party if
superdelegates are perceived to overturn the will of the voters. This
has been her position throughout this primary season, regardless of
who was ahead at any particular point in delegates or votes.”
Bill Clinton to lead wooing of California
superdelegates
He'll be trying to persuade undeclared "superdelegates" – Ed Espinosa
among them – to vote for his wife.
Officially, Clinton is the featured speaker Sunday at this weekend's
California Democratic Party convention. The San Jose gathering will
draw 2,000 Democratic activists, at least five rumored 2010 state
gubernatorial candidates and scores of other hopefuls seeking election
to political office in California.
Bill Clinton said yesterday in West Virginia:
"If a politician doesn't wanna get beat up, he shouldn't run for
office. If a football player doesn't want to get tackled or want the
risk of an a occasional clip he shouldn't put the pads on."
Barack Obama... today's headlines with excerpts
Pastor Wright flap hasn't hurt Obama
Democratic pollster Peter Hart, who conducts the Journal/NBC polls
with Republican pollster Bill McInturff, called the latest poll a
"myth-buster" that showed the pastor controversy is "not the beginning
of the end for the Obama campaign."
Obama's plan for economic woes
... Obama dismissed Republican rival
John McCain's approach as pure hands-off. On Tuesday, McCain
derided government intervention to save and reward banks or small
borrowers who behave irresponsibly though he offered few immediate
alternatives for fixing the country's growing housing crisis. Obama
said McCain's plan "amounts to little more than watching this crisis
happen."
Instead, Obama said, the next president should:
Expand oversight to any institution that borrows from the government.
Toughen capital requirements for complex financial instruments like
mortgage securities.
Streamline regulatory agencies to end overlap and competition among
regulators.
Bloomberg, Obama meeting fuels endorsement
rumors
They have spent time with each other in the past, but Bloomberg's
latest appearance with Obama is fueling speculation about whether the
mayor will officially endorse the presidential candidate.
The billionaire mayor had considered his own independent presidential
campaign, but said last month that he had decided not to run. He said
his focus would be on getting the candidates to embrace a bipartisan
approach.
Ralph Nader... today's headlines with excerpts
John
McCain continues to lead both potential Democratic opponents. McCain
leads Barack Obama 51% to 41% and Hillary Clinton 51% to 41%. McCain
is now viewed favorably by 56% of voters nationwide and unfavorably by
41%. Obama’s reviews are 46% favorable and 52% unfavorable. For
Clinton, those numbers are 44% favorable, 54% unfavorable.
A
prominent fund raiser told me, "Gore-Obama is the ticket a lot of
people wanted in the first place." A congressional Democrat told me,
"This could be our way out of a mess." Others suggested Gore was
painfully aware of his limitations as a candidate. "I don't know that
he'd be interested, even if you handed it to him," said a Gore friend.
Chances are, no one will hand it to him. The Democratic Party would
have to be monumentally desperate come June. And yet ... is this
scenario any more preposterous than the one that gave John McCain the
Republican nomination? Yes, it's silly season. But this has been an
exceptionally "silly" year.
A
new analysis of March polling data suggests that John McCain's
cross-party support surpasses that of either Barack Obama or Hillary
Clinton. 
President
Bush this year has already raised nearly half the amount of money for
the Republican Party and candidates he did all of last year, in a role
in which the lame-duck leader still excels despite his low
job-approval ratings.
Sixteen
months ago, Arthur C. Brooks, a professor at Syracuse University,
published "Who Really Cares: The Surprising Truth About Compassionate
Conservatism." The surprise is that liberals are markedly less
charitable than conservatives. 
Ann
Coulter:
Democrats are 'swiftboated'; Republicans are 'guilty.'"
John
McCain was getting some help Thursday from former Republican rival
Mitt Romney, a pairing that two months ago seemed improbable as the
two fought bitterly for the party's presidential nomination.
John
McCain on Wednesday called anew for the United States to work more
collegially with democratic allies and live up to its duties as a
world leader, drawing a sharp contrast to the past eight years under
President Bush. 
If
there's one constant to his 25 years in Congress, the last 21 in the
Senate, it's that McCain has voted with conservatives often enough to
have a legitimate claim to have been, as he frequently puts it, "a
foot soldier in the Reagan revolution."
As
expected, one of the two major Democratic candidates saw a downturn in
the latest NBC/WSJ poll, but it's not the candidate that you think.
Hillary Clinton is sporting the lowest personal ratings of the
campaign. Moreover, her 37 percent positive rating is the lowest the
NBC/WSJ poll has recorded since March 2001, two months after she was
elected to the U.S. Senate from New York.
According
to the FEC, FECA "prohibits any foreign national from contributing,
donating or spending funds in connection with any federal, state, or
local election in the United States, either directly or indirectly. It
is also unlawful to help foreign nationals violate that ban or to
solicit, receive or accept contributions or donations from them.
Persons who knowingly and willfully engage in these activities may be
subject to fines and/or imprisonment."
A
group of prominent Hillary Clinton donors sent a letter to House of
Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Wednesday asking her to
retract her comments on superdelegates and stay out of the Democratic
fight over their role in the presidential race.
Nearly
eight weeks after New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton won
California's Democratic primary, former President Bill Clinton will
return to the state Sunday for some unfinished business.
Bubba
talks tough in West Virginia: 
The
racially charged debate over Barack Obama's relationship with his
longtime pastor hasn't much changed his close contest against Hillary
Clinton, or hurt him against Republican nominee-in-waiting John
McCain, according to a new Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll.
To
fix the economy, Obama proposed relief for homeowners and an
additional $30 billion stimulus package to address the nation's
economic woes.
New
York Mayor Michael Bloomberg will stand side by side with Democratic
presidential hopeful Sen. Barack Obama for the second time in four
months Thursday. Bloomberg will introduce the Illinois senator at a
speech on the economy at Cooper Union College.
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