Joe Klein on Community Organizers and Republicans

You can make the case against Obama without demeaning community organizers. Joe Klein is aghast, and so am I, on this point.

My emphasis is in bold:

This morning, I received a press release from a group called Catholic Democrats about the work–the mission, the witness–that Obama performed after he got out of college. Here’s the first paragraph:

Catholic Democrats is expressing surprise and shock that Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin’s acceptance speech tonight mocked her opponent’s work in the 1980s for the Catholic Campaign for Human Development. She belittled Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama’s experience as a community organizer in Catholic parishes on the South Side of Chicago, work he undertook instead of pursuing a lucrative career on Wall Street. In her acceptance speech, Ms. Palin said, “I guess a small-town mayor is sort of like a community organizer, except that you have actual responsibilities.” Community organizing is at the heart of Catholic Social Teaching to end poverty and promote social justice.

So here is what Giuliani and Palin didn’t know: Obama was working for a group of churches that were concerned about their parishioners, many of whom had been laid off when the steel mills closed on the south side of Chicago. They hired Obama to help those stunned people recover and get the services they needed–job training, help with housing and so forth–from the local government. It was, dare I say it, the Lord’s work–the sort of mission Jesus preached (as opposed to the war in Iraq, which Palin described as a “task from God.”) This is what Palin and Giuliani were mocking. They were making fun of a young man’s decision “to serve a cause greater than himself,” in the words of John McCain. They were, therefore, mocking one of their candidate’s favorite messages. Obama served the poor for three years, then went to law school. To describe this service–the first thing he did out of college, the sort of service every college-educated American should perform, in some form or other–as anything other than noble is cheap and tawdry and cynical in the extreme. Perhaps La Pasionaria of the Northern Slope didn’t know this when she read the words they gave her. But Giuliani–a profoundly lapsed Catholic, who must have met more than a few religious folk toiling in the inner–should have known. (”I don’t even know what that is,” he sneered.”) What a shameful performance.

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What are the Lasting Effects of One Good Convention Speech?

One of the important questions from 2004 is how much a good speech at a convention lasts. This is the chart comparing Google searches for both John Kerry and Barack Obama in 2004. Note that Obama fell off dramatically as the convention faded.

Now, Sarah Palin is different: she was more of a phenomenon before her speech, and she’ll be on the ticket after. Those are important differences. But I think the relelvant analysis here is how far not Palin will go, but how far her speech will: That’s a significant difference. The speech will resonate for a time in the general public conscience, and be forgotten when the next big thing happens. The media tends to cover things like there never will be a next big thing, but it’s inevitable, especially with 4 big debate looming.

I think the bigger comparison is the content. See James Fallows:

To return to the main theme: both Reagan in 1964 and Obama in 2004 were effective because, apart from their personal skills, they added something to their party’s constituency that had not been there before. Reagan began recruiting the “Reagan Democrats,” starting with white Southerners. Obama tried to recruit people tired of divisive partisanship.

Sarah Palin, at least tonight, did not seem interested in bringing anyone new into the fold. A speech that was great in the convention hall. We’ll see how it affects the electoral lineup.

What Obama did in essence was to redefine what Democrats did in such a way that could appeal to independents and some Republicans. Reagan did something similar. Palin made some passing references to reform and fighting corruption, but the speech was not about that. That’s not to say that it was not good. I just think more is needed. Could McCain spell out the rest tonight? It’s certainly possible, but if that happens, the spotlight is again off of Palin. Which was the entire point of this post…

The better lasting effect, of course, is a bit further in the future.

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Obama Convention Speech

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DNC Convention Speeches Day 4: Al Gore and Barack Obama

4:45 CT (ish): David Plouffe talks about the voter registration drive.

5:12: Jennifer Hudson does the national Anthem: That girl can sing!

5:31: Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter is speaking, and he sounds like he has a hairball in his throat. He’s talking mostly about western values.

5:36: DemConWatch: “You’ll notice there are 3 podiums at Invesco - two on the sides and the main one in the center. Word is that only Gore and Obama will speak from the center podium.”

5:45: Howard Dean is introduced by a Howard Dean video, which had to be authorized by … Howard Dean. Lovely. Angelo notes that it’s similar to the guy from ALong Came Polly that paid for the camera crew for his E True Hollywood story. Dean talks his 50 state strategy, and talks in more generics about no being able to afford 4 more years of the same. He tries to bring out the red meat, but is stunningly bad at riling up the crowd. I think it’s because he frames things very poorly. He line that McCain is not a maverick, but instead a yes man would be good if it was a climax, not said as a throwaway line.

5:58: John Lewis is out next, introducing the tribute to MLK. Also, both Lewis and Dean used the main podium; so much for only Gore and Obama using it. Lewis discusses being at MLK’s “I Have a Dream” speech. He’s a civil rights legend, and he discusses the paththe movement has taken, and what it means to nominate Obama and what is done.

6:08: Bernice King says that Obama was nominated not because of the color of his skin, but because of the content of his character. She introduces Martin Luther King III. He talks about how proud his father would be, but that there is more work to do.

6:14: A DNC video. The musical accompaniment? Fake Empire, by The National. Good song, but I don’t think it’s really the message Democrats want to send.

6:33: will.i.am and John Legend perform that silly Obama “Yes we can” song.

6:40: James Dobson prayed for rain tonight. Skies are clear in Denver, but Hurrican Gustav looks threatening next week during the Republican Convention. Way to go.

6:46: Sheryl Crow time. At least for the people there. Airborne Toxic Event on here.

6:57: Obama’s campaign just sent out a text to all those who signed up reminding them that his speech is tonight.

7:03: Mark Udall, Senate candidate and son of Mo Udall, talks about western politics.

7:07: Veep runner up Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine is next. He attacks McCain a bit and alks about when he lived in Honduras a bit. The theme is putting into action what you believe in. It’s not like McCain has a storyline here that would dwarf working on the streets of Chicago. On the plus side, he’s showing far more energy than he did for his SOTU response. He finishes by getting the crowd to yell the mountain to move aside.

7:14: Bill Richardson time. He’s a governor, by the way. He’s pushes back against the celebrity mantra. He gets the crowd riled up. I missed a bunch ordering dinner.

7:30: Stevie Wonder is out as Al Gore’s opening act. He jokes about McCain recycling the policies of Bush, and talks about how differences between presidential candidates matter, citing 2000. He then talks at length about the climate crisis and how American innovation can solve it and how special interests and oil companies are preventing that. He’s being very blunt in his criticisms of Bush and in the stakes for this election. He gives America a history lesson on Lincoln, and condemns the Mexican War in the process.

8:05: Michael McDonald time. I still can’t believe he’s there.

8:15: Susan Eisenhower, granddaughter of Ike, addresses the crowd.

8:16: A tribute to retired generals includes what I think is the only appearance by Wesley Clark this convention. Scott Gration discusses his history with Obama, and why he is qualified to be C-in-C, mainly focusing on judgment, integrity, and patriotism.

8:23: Joe Biden is back for more. Of course, one address would not be enough for him. The one person he says hello to? Harry Reid. Go figure. He jokes about playing for the Denver Broncos. He goes through a list of people Democrats want to help. Biden introduces a number of ordinary people who are going to speak. And the only person he says goodbye to? Harry Reid. How odd.

8:28: A truck driver from Michigan is first.

8:30: An insurance agent from Ohio talks about the emails about him are lies. I can’t imagine anyone who took the time to watch C-span coverage of the convention is that misinformed. It’s the least informed people who are susceptible to that.

8:33: A pet store owner from Florida is very unhappy about the Bush years.

8:34: A woman from New Mexico discusses education.

8:37: Pam from North Carolina is next. Her husband lost a job and needed surgery; then she did. :She should immediately be put in a commercial. She also was a Republican.

8:40: A lifelong Republican from Indiana is next. His name is actually Barney Smith. He lost his job when it was replaced overseas. Saying that Barney Smith should go before Smith Barney erupts the crowd, and they chant his name! Whoever wrote these deserves a raise.

8:49: Obama’s prepared remarks.

8:51: The music plus the ridiculous spotlights make this seem like a disco hall.

8:56: Dick Durbin is here to introduce Obama. He starts by referring to Obama’s 2004 keynote. Durbin talks about people needing change, and how people are now familiar with Obama.

The video introducing Obama starts. It’s a good biographical story.

9:12: Here he is.

9:14: Long applause. This is going to go long, I think. He thanks HRC again right off the top, and President Clinton right after. He also thanks Ted Kennedy and Joe Biden.

9:57: Liveblogging this seemed a bit unnecessary. You’re going to have watch it. Very impressive.

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McCain, Democrats, and Abortion: A Riddle Without an Answer

Here’s a riddle:

A number of Democrats and swing voters apparently think that McCain is moderate on abortion and Roe v. Wade. He is not.
Damon Linker points out that most Americans are moderate:

Just below 20 percent of Americans believe abortion should be legal in all cases and circumstances. A slightly smaller number believe it should be illegal in all cases and circumstances. The rest (roughly 60 percent) think it should “usually” be legal or “usually” illegal, showing that the views of a solid majority of Americans confound the purists on both sides of the spectrum. And yet both parties insist on sticking to their extreme positions.

Herein lies the question: how does the Obama campaign take that perceived middle ground from Obama, without angering further the women who he is already at risk of losing because of the Clinton scenario?

I’m not sure there’s an answer. Perhaps the best answer for Obama is to make this a fight of the extremes. Yet that will probably favor McCain, since apparently a lot of people already believe he’s a moderate. It’ll take some real ju-jitsu to make this perception go away.

This underlines, though, the desparate need of Democrats to define McCain over the next 50 hours.

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Carville: Half-Right on Democrats

James Carville wants more red meat:

Speaking on CNN, Carville said the party was too soft in its attacks on John McCain Monday night — the same mistake, Carville says, Democrats made at the 2004 convention.

“The way they planned it tonight was supposed to be sort of the personal — Michelle Obama will talk about Barack Obama personally, Ted Kennedy was a very personal, emotional speech,” Carville said. “But I guarantee on the first night of the Republican Convention, you’re going to hear talk about Barack Obama, commander-in-chief, tax cuts, et cetera, et cetera.”

“You haven’t heard about Iraq or John McCain or George W. Bush — I haven’t heard any of this. We are a country that is in a borderline recession, we are an 80 percent wrong-track country. Health care, energy — I haven’t heard anything about gas prices,” Carville also says. “Maybe we are going to look better Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. But right now, we’re playing hide the message.”

Carville’s predictably getting attacked by Obama pseudo-surrogate Andrew Sullivan, but Carville does have a point: this is the Democrats best and only chance to unite. And like Matt Yglesias says, uniting a party does not come from hugging it out (sorry Ari), but rather by blasting the hell out of the political opponent. That’s what got the party behind Kerry in 2004 (although that was done before the convention).

That said, Carville is missing one very obvious point: that many Americans had questions regarding the family and patriotism of the Obamas. They had to spend a day making people comfortable with them as people. The next two days need to be incredibly vicious against McCain: they really need to be on a Zell Miller type of level. They have the headliners (Clinton and Biden) to do that. The convention would then wrap up with Obama framing his choices against what McCain is offering.

That said, I’m not sure the Mark Warner message will be is needed. The only overarching message about McCain so far is that he’s Bush’s third term. That alone will not be enough to win.

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A Note About The “Tensions” Between Obama And Clinton Supporters…

There’s an awful lot of discussion about the rift in the Democratic party, the anger among Clinton supporters and general Clinton “drama.”  Dont buy it.  Yes, there are a significant number of Clinton supporters that are very upset about Obama being the nominee.  However, the reality of the tensions between the camps is not anywhere near the degree that it is being portrayed.  The story is being completely overblown and it’s probably the result of two major factors: 1) A lack of historical knowledge (conventions in the past have been significantly more controversial, with much stronger tensions between internal camps) and 2) Clinton drama sells and the media has largely made it clear that profit and not information is their primary motivation.

Some examples of the silliness out there (the overwhelming majority of the aforementioned ridiculousnes can be found on cable news)…

• Justin Gardner criticizes HRC for knowing that her critiques would be used against Obama by McCain in the general election.  Because, Obama didn’t run critical ads against HRC, right?  I’m not sure why her critiques against Obama in the primary (which by historical counts weren’t that harsh) are still an issue.
• The Guardian’s Michael Tomasky is really upset by all the Clinton drama, especially after reading reports that some Clinton people won’t be staying in town for Obama’s speech.  So, to demonstrate how ridiculous all the drama is, he throws a hissy fit.  How dare those selfish Clinton advisors/staffers who spent countless hours fighting in a primary leave before watching Obama’s speech live and in person, I mean, my goodness, the room may not even be filled now.  Let me get this straight, apparently, the Clintons are being bad because some supporters don’t want to stick around for Obama’s speech? This is the best the press can do to gin up the controversy even more?  Sigh
• The National Review has a laughable list of the 20 ways that “Hillary is being snubbed.”

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DNC Convention Day 1 - Cable News Coverage

This post will be updated throughout the day with noteworthy pieces of information from cable news coverage on the convention…

8:00AM - MSNBC’s Morning Joe is taking place inside some restaurant.  Someone didn’t do their homework when picking this location, it’s so loud, you can barely hear anything that’s being said.  Hope they pick a better place tomorrow (or figure out a way to quiet things down).  I had to change the channel after David Shuster came on, I just can’t handle his blather this early in the morning.

9:15AM - Fox News is running a segment on protests organized by recreate68 yesterday.  Not surprisingly, they wanted to interview Ward Churchill (gee, I wonder why they would want to interview someone like him when talking about the DNC?); however, it didn’t go so well and apparently there was a bit of a scuffle between the Fox News folks and Ward’s folks.  AOL News’ Tommy Christopher has the most comprehensive and fairest account of the incident (with videos).

9:32AM - Fox News is now reporting on Joe Biden’s hair and his apparent hair transplant surgery.  Changing channel now.

11:44AM - MSNBC reports about a light that set off sprinkler system in the skeybox being used by Fox News.  They cutaway to a video of the room being soaked by the sprinklers.  Some onlookers cheered the news.  Chuck Todd rightfully acknowledges that this will stirr up some conspiracy theories.

12:40PM - Fox News anchor talks about how Fox has the best technology at the convention.  They prepare to cutaway to Bet Baier for a tour of Fox’s convention tech, but lose the satellite feed.  Woops.

12:45PM - MSNBC loses the satellite feed too.  They cut back to MSNBC’s headquarters in NYC.  Who is unimportant enough to be left behind?  Contessa Brewer.  She fills in nicely until the feed gets back up.  Brian Williams thanks (and patronizes her and everyone) and continues with his interview of Luke Russert.  I’m not entirely sure why Luke is discussing politics.  I’m unclear what his qualifications are and his analysis didn’t offer any insight into what those qualifications may be.

2:45PM - MSNBC discussing Michelle Obama’s speech tonight runs the Michelle-Barack fist bump video on a loop 9 consecutive times in a 43 second period.  They included multipe camera angles and two slow motion sequences (slow mo and super slow mo). Good lord.

2:49PM - MSNBC discussing the amount of attention the first bump got and how silly it was ran the fist bump loop again 4 times in a 22 second period.  It’s unreal.

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Barack “America” Obama and Joe Biden VP Announcement Speech Live Blog

11:37 CT: Obama and Biden are scheduled to appear at Springfield, IL at 3 ET / 2 CT. You can track Biden’s flight to Springfield here. He’s scheduled to touch down in Illinois less than an hour before then, so it might get pushed back a bit.

11:50 CT: The Springfield event will be Biden’s only appearance with Obama until the convention. That makes sense. No reason to blow your wad now, or to force Biden to write a stump speech overnight. They’ll need to work for as much coverage during the Republican convention as they can.

12:35 CT: Chris Matthews clearly did not get a lot of sleep. He’s already broken out the phrase “political striptease” with an hour and a half longer to go before Obama and Biden are even scheduled to appear.

1:55 CT: We’re still here. Not much has been going on. None of the analysis is worth writing down to remember. In terms of logistics, it turns out that Obama notified Biden Thursday night.

2:02: Obama takes the stage. DICK DURBIN is the first person to get thanked, followed by some local dignataries. He offers thoughts and prayers for Stephanie Tubbs Jones.

2:06: Focuses on a theme of making Washington work for working people, and looking for a leader to help in that, who is also qualified to step in as President. Says Biden has brought change to Washington, but Washington hasn’t changed him. Segues into a discussion of Biden’s character, and growing up in Scranton as a Catholic, even mentioning Biden’s stutter, and nickname: “Buh-buh-buh-Biden.” And then mentioning Biden’s family being in the car accident before he was even sworn in. Mentioned Biden’s aneurysm and near death experience as something else he has overcome.

2:13: Segues into policy discussion. Mentions the crime bill, and the Violence Against Women Act. Talks about his work on the judiciary committee, college tuition, and family leave. Finally talks about his experience in foreign policy. Says Biden has been a powerful critic of the “Bush/McCain” foreign policy. Mentions his trip to Russia where he met “quietly” with Saakashvili.

2:16: Says Biden will give America “straight talk,” and juxtaposes him with Cheney. Says Biden “gets it.” Basicall, Obama is just trying to cover his bases, while basically baiting McCain into overreacting.

2:19: Obama finishes on a really strong rhetorical flourish, and almost accidentally calls BIden the next President. Biden seems ecstatic just to be there, running across stage.

2:20: “It’s great to be here!” Biden talks about a Lincoln quote about standing firm in the right place. Biden starts by talking about character as well, mentions Obama’s upbringing and his as well, and that it’s not how many times you get knocked down, it’s how often you get up. He says that the Bush/McCain dream is making the American dream slip away. Talks about not being able to afford tax cuts for the rich, or doing nothing about the housing market collapse.

2:24: Biden is great at framing issues; that it’s not about foreclosures only, it’s about housing markets collapsing. And that while he and others are sitting at the kitchen table figuring things out, McCain doesn’t know which of his kitchen tables to even sit at. Says McCain is literally putting the country at risk. Biden goes on a rhetorical flourish of his own. He’s also saying everything with the word “literally” when critiquing McCain.

2:27: Biden says that he’s never seen Washington so broken, but that “the reckoning is now” and that “the times require more than a good soldier, they require a wise leader.” Says McCain is a friend of his, but “the harsh truth” is that you can’t change America when, as he quotes, he agrees with George W. Bush. Calls privitizing Social Security a “scheme.” Repeatedly quotes McCain on agreeing with Bush and says that will not work.

2:30: Says the choice is clear … the candidate to bring change is “Barack America.” Talk about an interesting sort of gaffe. Says Obama has steel in his spine, but that he’s been disappointed in McCain giving into Swift Boat politics.

2:33: Talks about Obama’s record in Washington, mentioning the ethics bill and Obama’s record on veterans. Compliments Obama’s character again, reviewing his biography. Calls Michelle Obama “drop dead gorgeous” and mentions his wife and family. Biden’s personality just shines through, more than almost any other politician around.

2:37: Michelle and Jill take the stage and there it is. We’ll post the video in a few minutes.

2:38: Chris Matthews says that Biden administered a shotgun marriage to Bush and McCain, and that McCain will want a divorce. And that Biden used a daisy chain to McCain, and that he handcuffed McCain to economic problems. Matthews literally has some issues he needs to go to therapy over…

2:43: Matthews compares Obama today to the angry version of Denzel Washington. I am not making this up.

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Obama-Biden Confirmed

Via CNN or Weekly Standard or Ambinder.

Interesting pick in that Obama basically seemed to ignore the notion of change. That said, it’s a pretty decent choice. It’ll add gravitas, and Biden will be a good attack dog on McCain, and a competent VP on foreign policy should Obama win. Those outweigh the negatives.

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Wild and Crazy Speculation Day!

Now that it’s within 24 hours of when we’ll most likely be introduced to Obama’s VP in person, it’s interesting to note that no one has any idea who it’s going to be. Speculation just within the past 24 hours includes not only regular names like Evan Bayh, Joe Biden, Tim Kaine, and Kathleen Sebelius, but also Hillary Clinton, Brian Schweitzer, Dick Gephardt, Mark Warner, Bill Richardson, Chris Dodd, Anthony Zinni, Eric Shinseki, Colin Powell, Chet Edwards, Chuck Hagel, John Kerry, Jack Reed, and Sam Nunn, even though Nunn is out of the country all weekend.

Did I miss anyone?

Update: Bill Nelson and even Ben Nelson!

Update 2: Tom Daschle, Wesley Clark, Caroline Kennedy, Al Gore, Russ Feingold, and Andrew J Bacevich.

Update 3: Mike Bloomberg, Dick Lugar, Lee Hamilton, Tim Roemer, Jim Webb, Bob Kerrey and Ed Rendell.

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Obama to Show Off Running Mate Saturday

It’s not clear when the announcement will be made, or even the offer tendered, but Obama will appear with his VP Saturday in Springfield, IL, where he kicked off his campaign.

One thing to put all of this in perspective. Both Obama and McCain have spent months writing and finetuning their convention speeches. Their VPs will have about a week to do the same.

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Obama VP Announcement Imminent; McCain’s Set for August 29th

At this time tomorrow, most likely, we will officially know the identity of Obama’s VP. The big rumor right now is Joe Biden. For someone who voted for the resolution to authorize for in Iraq, has a history with plagiarism, and has said some really … racist things in the past, he’s getting rave reviews in the liberal press.

You know things are getting serious when people are already editing Wikipedia to say that he is the official Democratic VP candidate.

That said, we’ll wait for some confirmation before divind headfirst into the shallow end. But Biden’s bluntness does make some sense. And we have been very complementary of Biden’s debate skills this election. (I still don’t understand how Edwards managed to get outdebated by Cheney in 2004, although who knows, he may have been thinking of how to get a mistress at the time.)

Of course, Sen. Lloyd Bentsen was a widely praised VP choice in 1988 too. So who knows.

McCain for his part has sent out a save the date to conservative media that he will announce his VP the day after the Democratic Convention on Friday August 29.

Marc Ambinder runs down the logic:

This week, it splices into the threads of attention that Barack Obama’s campaign is sewing ahead of Obama’s announcement.

Next week, it ensures that the press pays at least mild attention to McCain.

I have to disagree. it tells the press it can ignore McCain until August 29th, which is a Friday. When the announcement is imminent but the date unclear, you get nonstop media coverage (see Obama the last few weeks). When it’s set, the media can run off and do other things knowing you won’t make waves. If McCain wanted that media coverage next week, he’d make the announcement just before the Democratic Convention, and use that week for the rollout tour. Now, any negative news about a VP is going to be breaking during the Republican Convention, providing a mixed message at best. Meanwhile, it looks like Obama will have at least a few days advance to rebut such problems and give the Convetnion planners advance news on the identity of the choice. Not to mention that McCain had a two month head start to begin with.

There’s a reason bad news always leaks on Friday: people don’t pay attenion. On one of the last Friday’s of the summer, McCain is going to fire the biggest bullet he has left? I don’t like that strategy. I think it undermines any Obama convention bounce far less than they anticipate.

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Live Blog Of CNN/Saddleback Church Presidential Forum With McCain And Obama

Tonight is the Saddleback Church Presidential Forum with McCain and Obama, we’re live blogging…

7:00: A note on the forum — this is not a debate, thus McCain and Obama will not be engaging each other at all, nor will they be responding to each other’s points too. Obama gets the first round of questions.

7:04: Question Number 1 - Who are the 3 wisest people that you know. Obama says Michelle Obama and his grandmother. Then goes on to say that as President he wouldn’t limit himself to just 3 people; references Sam Nunn and Dick Lugar.

7:07: Question Number 2 - What is your own personal moral failing? What is America’s greatest moral failing? On his own personal failings, Obama says it was experimenting with drugs and alcohol during his teenage years. On America’s greatest moral failing, Obama limits his answer temporarily to in his lifetime. He says that the greatest moral failing of America is not abiding by the principle in Matthew “whatever you do to the least of my brothers you do to me.” Side note: This “least of these” phrase is something that Michelle Obama often used earlier in the campaign during her speeches.

7:09: Question Number 3 - What is the most significant issue/piece of legislation where you worked against your party for the good of America? Obama cites legislation that he “actually worked with John McCain” on - campaign ethics reform. This is somewhat of a bootleg answer because Obama actually pulled out of that specific legislation very early after starting to work with McCain (largely because of party politics). This created a bit of a dust up.

7:12: What is your most gut-wrenching decision? Obama says that it was his decision to oppose the war and also other issues of war and peace. Meh, duh.

7:19: What does it mean to you to trust in Christ? Obama says that he believes that Jesus Christ died for his sins and that he is redeemed through him. Says that if he can get himself out of the way, then maybe he can carry out what he (meaning Jesus) intends. He also says that it means to embrace not only words but deeds.

7:21: Abortion Question - At what point does a baby get human rights? Obama says that answering the question with that kind of specificity is above his pay grade. Says that he recognizes that the issue has a moral and ethical element to the issue, but notes that he is pro-life. Goes on to tout the fact that he added into the Democratic Party platform, the goal of reducing abortions.

7:25: Obama is asked to define marriage. Obama says, “I believe marriage is a union between a man and woman.” Says that he does not support a constitutional ban on gay marriage and adds that he supports civil unions.

7:29: Does evil exist? Obama says that evil does exist.

7:31: Which Supreme Court Justice would you have not appointed. Obama says that he would not have appointed Clarence Thomas. Adds that although he wouldn’t have appointed Scalia, he believes that he is qualified to serve on the court.

7:38: Define rich. He doesn’t give the strongest answer, but ultimately concludes with the number of 250,000 or more a year. I know plenty of folks that make 250,000 a year that are definitely not rich; however, they live in very rich areas, so the cost of living is not anywhere near parity with rest of the country.

7:48: Would you consider an emergency plan for orphans around the world? Obama says yes.

7:50: What would you do about religious persecution around the world? There’s really no way to answer such a vague question, so instead of criticizing Obama for giving a somewhat banal answer, I’m going to go ahead and call the question out for being bad.

7:53: In a minute, tell me why you want to be president. Obama believes that what makes America special is our empathetic spirit that supports the American Dream; he feels that it is slipping and he wants to bring it back.

7:56: Great Question - What would you tell the American people if you knew there wouldn’t be any repercussions? Obama says that he would say that combating climate change is going to require some sacrifices.

8:01: It’s John McCain’s turn. Who are the 3 wisest people that you know? McCain says Dave Patraeus, Sen. Lindsay Graham and the CEO of Ebay.

8:03: What is your own personal moral failing? What is America’s greatest moral failing? McCain says that the failure of his first marriage was his greatest moral failing. In terms of America, he says that it was not pushing for more voluntarism and sacrifice after 9/11.

8:10: What is the most gut-wrenching decision? McCain says that it was his decision not to yield to interrogation during his capture in Vietnam.

8:15: What does your faith in Jesus mean to you? McCain says that it means that he is saved and talks about the fact that faith is a global issue. He goes on to tell a story about the prison guard who drew the cross for him on Christmas (it’s a good story and one that he often tells)

8:19: Define marriage. McCain says that “it’s a union between one man and one woman.” He goes on to say that as a federalist, he believes that states have the right to define marriage how they choose. However, if a federal court were to force states to recognize it, he would support a constitutional amendment.

8:31: I’ll have to go back an insert some discussion about McCain’s last answers. I got sidetracked while discussing his performance with a colleague. I believe that McCain is performing significantly better than he has been the past few months.

8:33: After giving his oft repeated line about studying bears in Montana, McCain offers this subtle bit of humor: “we laugh, but we cry.”

8:40: Question: As an American what is worth dying for?  McCain says “Freedom”

8:43: On Russia: McCain says that he is saddened by Russian aggression.  He goes on to talk about Georgia’s long history as a Christian nation.  Interesting angle to play.

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Mark Warner to Give Dem Keynote Address

Like Barack Obama in 2004, former virginia Gov. Mark Warner has an overwhelming lead to take a formerly Republican seat in the Senate. And now he is giving the Democratic keynote address.

Nate Silver:

Contrary to the reporting of some outlets, Hillary Clinton had never formally been guaranteed the keynote slot — rather, she had merely been guaranteed a prime-time speaking slot on Tuesday. But the perception out there was that Tuesday would be “her” night, and we can expect some growling from the PUMAs about Hillary being snubbed.

One would hope, however, that the Obama campaign was not so callous as to give Warner the nod without vetting/negotiating their position with the Clintons — perhaps in exchange for the prime-time slot that Bill was given on Wednesday night. To have had Hillary keynoting on Tuesday and then Bill headlining on Wednesday — he will surely upstage the VP’s speech — might have risked a Clinton overdose. There are risks in doing things this way too, however.

Biggest loser in all of this? Tim Kaine, who if given the VP slot, might seem like sloppy seconds next to Warner.

Silver also concludes that this might mean good things for Kathleen Sebelius as VP. This seems to eliminate Kaine as a possibility, and it also underlines the themes of change and being a Washington outsider.

Eve Fairbanks is underwhelmed:

When the Obama press-team email “WARNER TO DELIVER CONVENTION KEYNOTE ADDRESS” hit my inbox at 7:15 this morning, for a minute I actually thought, “Oh my God! It’s a coup! They’ve gotten John Warner to break ranks!”, until I clicked through and saw that, of course, the Warner in question was Mark.

I’m sure the charming, youthful, up-and-coming Warner will give a nicely charming, youthful, and up-and-coming speech in Denver. But I also think my reaction reflects something about Mark Warner: he’s a little forgettable, especially after he suddenly begged off of what seemed like an inevitable run for the top this year. I know he’s supposed to be the Next Big Thing in Democratic politics, but hasn’t that been true for a while now? Will he ever stop hovering around “Next” and make a pass at being the Big Thing proper?

Jim Geraghty takes the opportunity to hit Kaine, and to chide Warner for avoiding unpopular fights:

The Post quotes a Kaine source as saying the governor thinks he’ll get “the silver medal” in the veep race.

I am not quite convinced that that would be the decisive factor, as opposed to, say, inanely inaccurate statements in defense of Obama in recent weeks. After all, two Virginians gave the response to the President’s state of the union two years in a row, Kaine and Sen. Jim Webb.

At the 2004 GOP convention, Rudy Giuliani spoke Monday night and George Pataki spoke Thursday before President Bush (in probably one of his best speeches ever). Bloomberg spoke as well. A multitude of New Yorkers didn’t seem all that inappropriate for a convention in New York City.

All in all, for a Democrat, Mark Warner isn’t that bad, as a speaker or as a face of the party. Or at the very least, as governor, he was very, very careful to avoid unpopular fights.

Lynn Sweet laughs at anyone who thought Clinton would be giving the keynote:

The way these things work is that there are convention speakers and then there are people officially designated as keynoters. Such will be the case at the Democratic convention in Denver. With some fanfare on Sunday, some big name speakers were announced, including on Tuesday, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.). If you by chance thought she was the keynoter, you jumped to a conclusion. The keynoter, unveiled on Wednesday, is former Virginia Gov. and senate candidate Mark Warner.

Marc Ambinder noted two days ago how close Mark Warner could have been to running for President (and losing, since he would not have gotten the black vote that Obama got):

If Edwards’s affair had been revealed earlier, such as, say, right after it began, Mark Warner might have stayed in the presidential race. Indeed, if Mark Warner had decided to run for president, then he might have filled the anti-establishment void that Barack Obama jumped into. If, If, if.

I’m generally not a big fan of reading too much into keynote speakers. They generally have very little impact on the election. The tea leaves may indicate something, but it’s generally something very obvious. The obvious facts are these:

1. Tim Kaine was never the favorite for VP, and Mark Warner did not want to be VP.
2. Mark Warner shares a lot of traits with Barack Obama that Barack Obama feels are very important.
3. Mark Warner is from a swing state and is going to win his election going away.

I’m sure there will be some Clinton supporter unrest, but that seems to be inevitable at this point. It’s more important for Obama to emphasize what he is for than to worry about the remnants of the Clinton coalition getting upset at any particular position.

PS: Consider Sebelius my official VP pick, with Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer as the dark horse candidate (if he agrees).

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Hillary to Headline The Second Night of the Democratic Convention

The Obama campaign announced today that Hillary Clinton will be his featured speaker, the second night of the Democratic Convention.

She will be speaking on the 88th Anniversary of the Woman’s Sufferage movement.  The next day Obama will be accepting the democratic nomination for President - the 40th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King’s “I Have A Dream” speech.

While the theme for 2008 might be change, it seems the Democrats are also intent on emphasizing history.

CORRECTION: She will not be the keynote speaker. -john

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A Picture’s Worth A Thousand Words (3)

Political cartoons have long been staples in American politics.  Before television, internet cartoons, and very controversial New Yorker covers, editorial cartoonists rawly exposed political happenings and projected their interpretations into the minds of their viewers.  William Tweed, a corrupt political machine politician in 19th century New York City, once commented:

I don’t care a straw for your newspaper articles, my constituents don’t know how to read, but they can’t help seeing them damned pictures.

Here’s a look at some of this week’s political cartoons and what message they are trying to get across.  It is important to note where and what papers these cartoons are published in, as they provide important insight into the minds and messages effecting local voters.

Starting off in Wisconsin, Joe Heller of The Green Bay Press-Gazette comments on the McCain ads that portray Obama as a celebrity.  According to Real Clear Politics, Obama enjoys a steady 8 point lead over McCain in Wisconsin:

Dick Locher of The Chicago Tribune looks at Obama’s percieved ego.  I find it very interesting that some of the most critical portrayals of Obama come out of Chicago.  Given his faux presidential seal and shadow cabinet, this cartoon is not too far off:

Cal Grondahl of the Utah Standard Examiner examines McCain’s VP potential.  I do not think that either Romney or Huckabee are serious choices, but this cartoon does reflect McCain’s general challenge in this election - his weak economic credential and weak support from the Christian Right of the Republican Party:

Read more

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An Example Of How Weak The GOP Brand Is: Jack Martin’s Strategy In New York’s 4th Congressional District…

I am back in New York and I noticed a campaign commercial for the local house race here between incumbent Carolyn McCarthy (D) and challenger Jack Martins (R).  Martins ad puts a twist on the “change” theme while also neglecting to mention that he is a Republican.  Take a look:

I thought this was a bit curious, so I perused his website and it also fails to contain a single reference to Martins being a Republican.

There’s not much to say about this other than to note this as an example of the weakness of the Republican brand during this election cycle.  Additionally, the lack of party identification coupled with the “change” theme gives the impression that Martins is in line with Obama’s Changevolution and McCarthy isn’t.  Subtle and tricksy.

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