January 2008

Romney Compares McCain To Nixon
January 31, 2008
Mitt Romney has accused GOP presidential rival John McCain of using underhanded political tactics like those of disgraced former president Richard Nixon.  Meanwhile, McCain has picked up the endorsements of both Rudy Giuliani and California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Report:  Pentagon Totally Unprepared For Major Attack On US
January 31, 2008

Edwards, Giuliani Dropping Out
January 30, 2008

McCain Wins Florida Primary
January 30, 2008

GOP Candidates Battling For Florida Votes
January 29, 2008
Mitt Romney and John McCain are campaigning hard for support in Florida, accusing each other of trying to take the nation on a "liberal democratic course" and engaging in "wholesale deception of the voters."   Meanwhile former front-runner Rudy Giuliani hopes to prevent a campaign meltdown with a come-from-behind victory.

Bush Gives Last State Of The Union Address
January 29, 2008

Obama Wins Big In South Carolina
January 27, 2008
By Rob @ 6:08 p.m. Illinois Senator Barack Obama triumphed in yesterday's South Carolina primary election with an impressive 55 percent of the vote, scoring the first clear majority victory of the primary season for either party.  Obama received more than twice as many votes as his chief rival for the Democratic nomination, New York Senator Hillary Clinton, who trailed with 27 percent of the vote.  Obama's support came from voters across the spectrum and put to rest speculation that an Obama victory would be based only on strong support from African Americans.  Exit polls show Obama won among men, women, and young voters in addition to his overwhelming support from black voters.  Older, non-black voters favored former Senator John Edwards, the Democrats' 2004 vice-presidential nominee, who came in third place despite winning the 2004 primary in his native South Carolina.  Clinton's second place finish was fueled by strong support among voters over age 65.  With half a millions voters participating, Democrats continued showing massive turnout gains, beating the GOP's primary turnout from last week by more than 100,000 voters. 

Up Next For The Democrats:  Super Tuesday, with primaries in California, New York, New Jersey, Illinois, Massachusetts, Georgia, Minnesota, Missouri and fourteen other states. Florida has a primary scheduled for January 29th, but because Florida violated Democratic primary rules by scheduling its vote for January, the party plans to deny seats to any delegates chosen in the primary.  However, Hillary Clinton, who leads among Democrats in Florida according to recent polls, is hoping for a boost from Florida's "phantom" primary.

Ted Kennedy To Endorse Obama
January 27, 2008
Senator Ted Kennedy is expected to endorse the presidential campaign of Barack Obama, and Caroline Kennedy, daughter of President John F. Kennedy, has written an op-ed piece endorsing Obama titled "A President Like My Father."

Romney:  McCain Is All About The Past
January 27, 2008

Bush Passes The Buck On War Funding
January 24, 2008
President Bush has decided that his successor can figure out how to fund the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.  Bush's proposed budget for 2009 fails to provide the money to pay for the wars through the end of next year, leaving it up to the next president to confront the budget-busting war costs.

Kucinich Abandons Presidential Bid, Seeks Re-Election To House
January 24, 2008

Giuliani Struggles With Florida Strategy
January 24, 2008
By Rob @ 9:43 a.m. GOP presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani's hope of reviving his campaign with a win in Florida is fading as his poll numbers drop both nationally and in the Sunshine state.  The former New York mayor all but disappeared  from the Iowa contest after Mitt Romney appeared to take a commanding lead in polls, only to see Romney beaten by former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee.  Giuliani made a minor effort in the New Hampshire primary, but has counted on Florida, New York, and other large states to offset other candidates' early victories.  But the attention that Huckabee, Romney and McCain gained from their early wins has caused Giuliani to fade into the background.  Current polls show him running third in Florida, and McCain has caught up with Giuliani in New York.  Meanwhile, New York firefighters are campaigning against Giuliani in Florida.  Without a win in Florida, Giuliani's White House bid is probably finished.

Bush Reaches Deal With Congress On Tax Rebates
January 24, 2008

New Home Sales Continue To Fall
January 24, 2008

Cheney Pushes Plan For More Government Surveillance
January 24, 2008

Thompson Quits
January 22, 2008
Former Tennessee senator and lobbyist Fred Thompson has dropped out of the GOP presidential contest after placing a distant third in the South Carolina primary.

Financial Markets Rocked By Recession Fears
January 22, 2008

Padilla Gets 17 Years In Prison
January 22, 2008
Jose Padilla has been sentenced to 17 years in prison for conspiring to aid terrorists.  Padilla, an American citizen, was held in solitary confinement in a military brig for three and a half years before being charged with a crime.  In announcing Padilla's sentence, along with two codefendants, Judge Marcia G. Cook noted “there is no evidence that these defendants personally, killed maimed or kidnapped” anyone.  Government prosecutors had asked that Padilla be given a life sentence. 

Clinton And Obama Debate Gets Nasty
January 21, 2008
The Democratic debate on the eve of the South Carolina primary took an ugly turn tonight, as Hillary Clinton accused Barack Obama of avoiding tough votes and representing a slum lord campaign contributor, while Obama reminded voters that Hillary was a corporate lawyer on the board of Wal-Mart while American jobs were being outsourced to other countries.

Chuck Norris:  McCain Is Too Old
January 21, 2008

Romney And Clinton Win Nevada Caucuses
January 20, 2008

McCain Edges Huckabee In South Carolina Primary
January 20, 2008

Democrats Plan Quick Action On Economic Stimulus Bill
January 18, 2008

Tom Cruise Video Brings More Scrutiny To Scientologists
January 18, 2008
A new video circulating on the web shows Tom Cruise receiving a Scientology award and then preaching about how psychiatrists are guilty of "crimes against humanity," and is raising more questions about the secretive religion.

Huckabee Hits McCain Over Confederate Flag
January 17, 2008
The GOP presidential campaign returned to an emotional debate over flying the Confederate flag in South Carolina, and issue that dogged John McCain during the 2000 GOP primary.  Former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee says that no one should tell South Carolina what to do about the issue, the same position McCain took in 2000.  Since then McCain has admitted he was pandering to Southern voters and that his true feelings are that the "stars and bars" used by the Confederacy during the Civil War should not be flown because it is a symbol of racial divisiveness and offensive to many Americans.

Unions Battle For Influence In Nevada Democratic Caucuses
January 17, 2008

Kucinich Excluded From Nevada Democratic Debate
January 17, 2008

Democrats Turn Down The Heat
January 16, 2008
Democrats Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama sought to end the escalating war of words between their campaigns during a Nevada debate, agreeing that race and gender issues have no place in the presidential contest and that the focus should be on substantive issues.

Romney Gets Big Win In Michigan
January 15, 2008
GOP presidential contender Mitt Romney got a big win in the Michigan primary, receiving 39 percent of the Republican vote compared with 30 percent for Arizona senator John McCain and 16 percent for former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee.  Rudy Giuliani continued his dismal showing in the GOP contests, coming in fifth behind both Ron Paul and Fred Thompson.  Romney's victory was a must-win for his campaign after his second place showings in both Iowa and New Hampshire. 

Clinton, Obama Clash Over MLK Comments
January 14, 2008

Florida GOP Race In Four Way Tie
January 14, 2008

Clinton Advisor DUI
January 14, 2008

Bloomberg: I Am Not A Candidate
January 11, 2008
But the question everyone is asking is whether New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg will become a candidate for president?

Federal Reserve Signals Interest Rate Cut
January 11, 2008
Reacting to fears of a recession brought on by the mortgage crisis, Federal Reserve Bank Chairman Ben Bernanke has indicated that the nation's central bank will cut interest rates.

Abramoff Claims Another Victim
January 11, 2008
The Jack Abramoff scandal has ended the career of another GOP member of Congress, California's John Doolittle, who will announce today that he will not seek re-election.  The congressman and his wife have been under criminal investigation for their connections to Abramoff, who has already been convicted on corruption and bribery charges.

WHO Estimates 150,000 Iraqi Civilians Killed Since Invasion
January 11, 2008

Romney Tries For Comeback In Michigan
January 10, 2008
Willard "Mitt" Romney is trying to revive his hopes for the GOP presidential nomination by pulling ads from Florida and South Carolina in order to focus on the Michigan primary.  Romney's fundraising remains strong despite disappointing second-place showings in both Iowa and New Hampshire.

To see who is funding the 2008 presidential campaign, check out www.buyingofthepresident.org

Kerry To Endorse Obama
January 10, 2008
The 2004 Democratic nominee for president, Massachusetts Senator John Kerry, is planning to endorse Barack Obama's 2008 campaign.

Nine US Soldiers Killed In Iraq In Last Two Days
January 10, 2008

Bomb Scare Evacuates Giuliani Event
January 10, 2008

Retailers Report Weak December Sales
January 10, 2008

Richardson Drops Presidential Bid
January 9, 2008

New Hampshire Primary:  McCain Wins For GOP; Clinton Beats Back Obama To Win Dem Race
January 8, 2008
by Rob @ 5:35 p.m. Based on early returns, media outlets have projected that Arizona Senator John McCain will win the New Hampshire GOP presidential primary.  Exit polls show that McCain won based on strong support among independent voters that participated in the GOP primary.  Among registered Republicans, McCain and Romney were in a virtual tie.  McCain's strength also came from liberal and moderate Republicans, an increasingly rare portion of the GOP electorate as the campaign moves south and west.

Update: On the Democratic side, Hillary Clinton has narrowly beaten Barack Obama, defying last minute polls that gave Obama a double digit lead.  Clinton's victory is credited to a decisive win among women voters. 

Next Up:  The Michigan primary on January 15th, followed by the Nevada caucuses on January 19th.  Michigan has violated Democratic Party rules by holding its primary before February 5th and its delegates may not be seated at the 2008 party convention.

Turnout "Huge" In New Hampshire Primary
January 8, 2008
The New Hampshire Secretary of State William Gardner described the turnout in today's first-in-the-nation primary as "absolutely huge, especially on the Democratic side.  Concerns are being raised over whether New Hampshire has enough ballots for the  surge of Democratic voters.  Gardner expects over 500,000 voters to cast primary ballots, an increase of 100,000 from the previous record turnout, set in 2000.  Gardner also predicts that approximately 90,000 independent voters will participate in the Democratic primary while 60,000 will case votes on the GOP ballot.  Of the 830,000 registered voters in New Hampshire, 45 percent are "undeclared" or not affiliated with any political party.  Both John McCain, who won won the GOP 2000 primary based on large independent voter participation in the GOP race, and Democratic candidate Barack Obama are counting on independent voters to provide their margin of victory in today's primary.  Among registered Republicans, former Massachusetts governor Willard "Mitt" Romney leads McCain, and New York senator Hillary Clinton holds a lead among registered Democrats.

Las Vegas Union Set To Endorse Obama
January 8, 2008

Huckabee Promoting National Sales Tax
January 8, 2008

English-Only Giuliani Releases TV Ad In Spanish
January 8, 2008
Former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani often argues on the campaign trail that "you should be able to have to read English, write English, and speak English if you want to become a citizen." But that rule apparently has an exception if you want to vote for Rudy's presidential campaign, as shown by Giuliani's decision to air a Spanish-language television ad in Florida.  According to the GOP candidate: "Soy Rudy Giuliani y apruebo este mensaje" (I'm Rudy Giuliani and I approved this message).  A new poll shows Giuliani's lead among Florida voters slipping as Mike Huckabee is now within single digits of front-runner Giuliani.

Obama Surges Past Clinton In New Hampshire Polls
January 7, 2008

FOX Excludes Ron Paul From Debate
January 7, 2008

Healthcare Insurance Victims Campaign With Edwards
January 7, 2008
The family of Nataline Sarkisyan, who died after being denied a liver transplant by her health insurer, is supporting the presidential campaign of John Edwards, a former senator and lawyer from North Carolina.

Lott Becomes Lobbyist Less Than One Month After Quitting Congress
January 7, 2008
Former GOP Senate Majority Leader, Trent Lott, has become a lobbyist less than one month after resigning from his Senate seat.  Lott was re-elected to a six year term in 2006, but resigned from his seat on December 18, 2007.  What changed?  After Democrats won the majority in Congress in the 2006 election, they passed an ethics reform provision that required members of Congress to wait for two years after leaving Congress before directly lobbying their former colleagues in the legislature.  By quitting early, Lott is covered by the old rule, which required a one year waiting period. 

Romney Wins Wyoming GOP Caucuses
January 5, 2008
by Rob @ 3:54 p.m.  Raise your hand if you even knew Wyoming had a caucus.

New Poll Puts Obama Up By 10 Points In New Hampshire
January 5, 2008

Obama, Huckabee Win In Iowa
January 4, 2008
by Rob @ 9:02 a.m.  There are several stories coming out of the Obama and Huckabee victories in the Iowa Caucuses: 

Dodd and Biden quit the Democratic race. Mitt Romney proved that he couldn't buy Iowa Republicans, but you can rent enough for a second-place finish.

Conservatives are coming after Mike Huckabee, calling him a “Christian Socialist.”  Look for lots of news stories about Huckabee’s record while governor of Arkansas, especially on taxes, spending and granting paroles to criminals.

Turnout was huge, and decisive.  An estimated 236,000 Democrats participated in the caucuses, compared with 124,000 in 2004. More than half of the Democratic attendees were first time caucus-goers, and 41 percent of them they went for Obama. Democrats under age 30 showed up in the same numbers as voters over 65, and Obama won 57 percent of the younger voters. Obama won among registered Democrats by a small margin, but received 44 percent from the Independent voters that attended.

GOP participation, while lagging far behind the Democrats, was a higher than expected 115,000.  Born-again or evangelical voters made up 60 percent of Republicans at the caucuses, and they went for Huckabee in a big way.

Ron Paul got 10 percent of the GOP caucus votes, more than double the support of Rudy Giuliani, who received a pathetic 4 percent.  The last minute McCain boom was a bust, as he came in fourth just behind Fred Thompson.

But the biggest story may be Hillary Clinton’s third place finish.  Voters can only imagine what would have happened last night if Hillary had been able to campaign as a leading voice against the Iraq War instead of constantly having to explain and her vote to authorize the war.  Michael Moore said it best:  "I can't tell you how bad I feel for Senator Clinton tonight. I don't believe she was ever really for this war.  But she did -- and continued to do -- what she thought was the politically expedient thing to eventually get elected. And she was wrong. And tonight she must go to sleep wondering what would have happened if she had voted her conscience instead of her calculator."

Read a first-hand account of the Iowa Caucuses at Political Equinox.

Thompson Denies He’ll Quit Race After Iowa Caucuses
January 3, 2008

Huckabee Imitates Bill Clinton
January 3, 2008
GOP presidential candidate Mike Huckabee stole a page from Bill Clinton’s 1992 playbook, appearing on a late night talk show and jamming with the band.  Clinton famously donned sunglasses and played saxophone on the Arsenio Hall Show during his first campaign for the White House.  Huckabee left Iowa last night to appear on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, and played bass guitar with Leno’s band.

Justice Dept. Opens Criminal Probe Into Destruction Of CIA Interrogation Videos
January 2, 2008

Giuliani Campaigns Alone
January 2, 2008
While other candidates' families are highly visible at campaign events, former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani often appears alone to avoid messy questions about his personal life.  Giuliani has been estranged from his children since announcing his divorce to their mother at a press conference.

Polls Show Iowa Vote Too Close To Call
January 2, 2008
The final polls before tomorrow's Iowa Caucuses show Democrats Clinton, Obama and Edwards all with a chance to pull out a victory.  On the GOP side, Mike Huckabee and Mitt Romney are leading, with a resurgent John McCain in third.  Read a first-hand account of the last minute campaigning at Political Equinox.

Huckabee Shows Negative Ad To Press, Then Says He Won't Air It
January 1, 2008

Will Bloomberg Jump In?
January 1, 2008
New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg is still considering jumping into the 2008 presidential race as an independent, according to aides who are laying the groundwork for his campaign.  Bloomberg, who has been a registered Democrat and Republican in the past, has a personal fortune of billions to fund a campaign, spending over $160 million of his own money on his two mayoral races.

ABC And FOX Exclude Candidates From Upcoming Debates
January 1, 2008
ABC and FOX plan to host presidential candidate debates before the January's New Hampshire primary, but both networks have decided to limit which candidates can attend.  Participation in the ABC event will depend on how the candidates perform in the Iowa Caucuses on January 3rd, while FOX has already determined the line-up for its GOP forum, excluding both Ron Paul and Duncan Hunter.