Election Central Morning Roundup
Obama And Clinton Today: Unity In Unity
Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton will hold their first public campaign event together since Hillary dropped out of the race -- an important step in sending the right message to any disaffected Hillary voters out there. The location has been much remarked about: The small town of Unity, New Hampshire, where the two candidates tied exactly in the primary.
McCain In Ohio Today
John McCain will be visiting a General Motors plant in Warren, Ohio, today. Ohio is of course a crucial state for Republicans -- no GOP candidate has won the presidency while simultaneously losing Ohio, and George W. Bush's narrow 2004 victory here was crucial to his reelection. Currently, polls show Barack Obama taking the lead here.
Poll: Obama Leads McCain By Five
The new Time Magazine poll gives Barack Obama a narrow lead over John McCain of 43%-38%, with a ±4% margin of error. Obama beats McCain 44%-37% on who is trusted more with the economy, while McCain wins 53%-33% on the issue of national security and terrorism.
Clinton To Donors: Give To Obama
At last night's joint event with Barack Obama in front of her own top donors, Hillary Clinton repeated her call for her supporters to raise money for Obama. "We are a family," Clinton said, "and we have an opportunity now to really demonstrate clearly we do know what's at stake, and we will do whatever it takes to win back this White House." No word yet on whether she asked them to go to BarackObama.com.
NRCC: Damaged GOP Brand Has Lost Us Special Election
An internal report at the National Republican Congressional Committee has identified a key reason why they lost special elections for red districts in Illinois, Louisiana and Mississippi: The poisonous political environment hurting the whole Republican brand. "None of the candidates nor their allies successfully established themselves and their local brand in contrast to the negative perception of the national GOP," the report says.
Bush Pastor Launches Pro-Obama Site
Here's a funny item to start your morning. Rev. Kirbyjon Caldwell, the Methodist minister who officiated at the wedding of Jenna Bush and Henry Hager, has launched a new pro-Obama Web site, JamesDobsonDoesntSpeakForMe.com. Caldwell previously spoke at the Republican National Convention in 2000, and still considers Bush a friend, but is now reaching out to religious voters on Obama's behalf.
go bush's pastor http://sensico.wordpress.com/2008/06/26/mccain-versus-the-internet/
June 27, 2008 9:06 AM | Reply | Permalink
JamesDobsonDoesntSpeakForMe.com.
That's awesome.
June 27, 2008 9:10 AM | Reply | Permalink
Indeed.
June 27, 2008 9:33 AM | Reply | Permalink
I'll tell y'all one thing that has the Methodist hierarchy very upset with Bush - the Lieberry at SMU. The Methodists are fighting that thing up one side and down the other. There's a group of Methodist bishops who are filing a lawsuit to stop it. I've given them money to help fight it.
I'm not surprised at this - the Methodists are furious about the Lieberry and think tank at SMU.
June 27, 2008 9:18 AM | Reply | Permalink
Now, that's a pastor who's church I'd like to visit.
June 27, 2008 9:20 AM | Reply | Permalink
Why do you always save the best news tidbit for last!
http://www.JamesDobsonDoesntSpeakForMe.com/
That is almost as fantastic as the GWB Memorial Sewage Plant!
June 27, 2008 9:24 AM | Reply | Permalink
As an Obama supporter who falls into the "evangelical Christian" category, I was delighted to sign my name to the site several days ago.
June 27, 2008 10:18 AM | Reply | Permalink
Same here.
And I know my mother, also a Methodist Pastor, was equally delighted to sign her name.
June 27, 2008 6:22 PM | Reply | Permalink
Refreshing to hear that some people are able to think and act on their own and just maybe can't be bought. Good luck on preventing a Bush Lieberry on SMU premises . . . to allow it is a contradiction of beliefs.
June 27, 2008 9:31 AM | Reply | Permalink
That's their point.
June 27, 2008 9:33 AM | Reply | Permalink
Even pushing aside the irony of Bush the illiterate needing a library, the purpose of presidential libraries is to preserve records, provide insight into policy decisions, etc.. The Bush White House has done everything possible to keep their nefarious dealings hidden. Every document that might shed some light has or will be shredded, every hard drive erased. What will that library contain, Laura's favorite vanilla puddin' recipe?
June 27, 2008 11:38 AM | Reply | Permalink
Props to Caldwell
June 27, 2008 9:58 AM | Reply | Permalink
Yesterday I went to DOUBLE U DOUBLE U DOUBLE U HILLARYCLINTON DOT COM to make my last Hillary donation and to Obama's website to make my first Obama donation. Of course I gave more to Hillary than Barack, but I'm sure I'll be inspired to give more as the general election continues.
June 27, 2008 10:15 AM | Reply | Permalink
Thank you for doing your part! I donated to Clinton on the day she conceded, and I'm looking forward to today's event. I think McCain's going to be pissing in his Depends once Clinton attacks him :-)
June 27, 2008 10:19 AM | Reply | Permalink
Great to hear it, Dijamo.
June 27, 2008 10:24 AM | Reply | Permalink
Seriously? That's awesome. You have just inspired me to send a bit of cash Hillary's way. Since her speech on June 7, she has handled herself with grace, sincerity and good humor - all traits of a good leader. I hope to see her continue to use that leadership on behalf of the party and the country, whether it's in the Senate or in another role. I was as angry as anyone at her during the primaries, but she has really regained a lot of stature in my eyes over the last few weeks. (Not that my opinion really matters, but FWIW.) Major props to Sen. Clinton.
June 27, 2008 10:27 AM | Reply | Permalink
Good to see that you are indeed a realist Dijamo. Thats the way to go.
June 27, 2008 10:32 AM | Reply | Permalink
Thanks to all above :) Yes I am officially on myabarckobama.com now. It felt a little dirty at first, but then I took a hot shower and it was fine. I must say the community at the Obama website FAR surpasses the HRC website which is cool. Many support groups to join like the TPM-Aholics Support Group, Hillary Supporters Non-Anonymous, and so on. The username is dijamo if anyone's looking to rack up points by adding a friend :)
June 27, 2008 10:43 AM | Reply | Permalink
So .... Republicans have finally figure out what the rest of us already knew, that their blind loyalty and support of a lying and criminal president and corrupt political party has voters saying no thanks.
If it took them this long to notice, they must really think the people of this country are stupid.
June 27, 2008 11:27 AM | Reply | Permalink
NRCC:
The RepoMen view politics as a never-ending advertising campaign. They don't see the substance of their positions or actions as a problem; they've just mismanaged the selling of their brand.
It's reminiscent of GM and other American car makers, especially a while ago when they first started getting trounced by the Japanese: We don't have to make cars that consumers want. We can make them want what we've got. We've got advertising!
June 27, 2008 12:14 PM | Reply | Permalink
Oops. I forgot the hook to Y4T's post:
My point is that most of them haven't figured it out.
They see it as a failure of their branding tactics.
June 27, 2008 12:20 PM | Reply | Permalink
Hey what happened to SFCWallace? Did he already earn enough points for the McCain golf sweater?
June 27, 2008 1:49 PM | Reply | Permalink