Election Central Sunday Roundup
Barack Obama Has Resigned From The Senate
Barack Obama officially resigned his Senate seat today, as he devotes his full time to his White House transition. "But I will never forget, and will forever be grateful, to the men and women of this great state who made my life in public service possible," Obama said in an open letter to the people of Illinois.
No Obama or Biden Public Events Today
Barack Obama and Joe Biden do not have public events scheduled for today.
Obama Announces More Key Staff Appointments
The Obama transition office announced some more top staff appointments: Pete Rouse, who was Obama's Senate chief of staff and was also chief of staff for Tom Daschle before that, will be a White House senior adviser. Mona Stuphen, a top corporate consultant, and Jim Messina, who served as national chief of staff for Obama's presidential campaign and was a long-time Congressional aide, will both be White House deputy chiefs of staff.
Jim Martin Gets Big Dem Name To Campaign For Him: Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton is headed to Georgia on Wednesday, where he'll campaign for Democratic Senate candidate Jim Martin in the runoff election against incumbent GOP Sen. Saxby Chambliss. The Dems are definitely getting serious about this race, which for both sides will be all about turnout and mobilizing the party bases.
Report: Greg Craig Picked To Be White House Counsel
Barack Obama will reportedly appoint Greg Craig, an experienced Washington lawyer who served on Bill Clinton's impeachment defense team and also portrayed John McCain during Obama's debate prep, as the new White House counsel.
NYT: Obama May Have To Give Up E-Mail
The New York Times reports that Barack Obama may have to give up the use of e-mail, an ironic twist for the president elected thanks in part to the Netroots: "In addition to concerns about e-mail security, he faces the Presidential Records Act, which puts his correspondence in the official record and ultimately up for public review, and the threat of subpoenas. A decision has not been made on whether he could become the first e-mailing president, but aides said that seemed doubtful."
Robert Gates Working For Smooth Transition
The Washington Post reports that Secretary of Defense Robert Gates is working closely with the incoming Obama Administration on the transition process, setting up office space for them right near his own office at the Pentagon and canvassing political appointees to find out which ones would like to leave and which would like to stay on. Gates himself, of course, may very well be one of those employees who wishes to stay on for a while, a matter that still remains to be sorted out.
Rudy Considering Bid For New York Governor, Won't Rule Out Another Presidential Run
Rudy Giuliani told reporters in Dubai that he is considering a run for governor of New York in 2010, and wouldn't rule out another presidential campaign. "No one knows whether you'll do something again until you come to the point of: 'Is it possible to do it again? Would you have a chance of winning?'" said Rudy.
Eric, with the election now over, when will TPM change the name of this blog page from Election Central?
November 16, 2008 12:26 PM | Reply | Permalink
There's still an election in Georgia.
November 16, 2008 1:53 PM | Reply | Permalink
yes there is and yes we can!!!
November 16, 2008 9:49 PM | Reply | Permalink
EC is a permanent fixture of TPM, at least as long as I've been reading here. It didn't go away after the 2006 elections, and there's no reason to think it'll go away now.
Things just slow down here. If you're looking for another blog, try TPMMuckraker, another permanent fixture here. It's pretty good; they've got lots of muck, and we've got rakes!
It's likely to pick up there about a month or two after the new Congress is seated.
November 16, 2008 2:05 PM | Reply | Permalink
HELL NO! HELL NO! HELL NO! THAT RAT FACE RUDY WILL NEVER BE MY GOVERNOR. I have never liked that guy. No Way. No How.
November 16, 2008 12:29 PM | Reply | Permalink
He should run and waste the Repubs money!
November 16, 2008 12:35 PM | Reply | Permalink
I agree.
Rudy may think New Yorkers still love him, but I think he's got two big problems. One, upstaters just aren't going to be thrilled with old downstater Rudy at this point. In 2002, maybe, or 2006, but not now. Second, downstaters aren't going to be thrilled with him, either. They weren't on September 10, 2001. It's been long enough that he won't be able to use the "America's Mayor" theme to bolster his pathetic attempt.
November 16, 2008 12:46 PM | Reply | Permalink
Rudy’s support in downstate NY is now strictly along party lines, he can’t count on any Dem or much Independent crossover support from his time as Mayor, he spent all that political capital being such a fascist freak these past few years and I don’t think his particular brand of fear mongering will play well in upstate and Western NY either. Rudy in drag isn't his problem upstate anymore, his problem is his rhetoric is just not credible anymore. Personally, I enjoy watching Rudy embarrass himself in public and think there would be little enough chance of him winning that I say bring it on. Though I do have an escape capsule in the Rockies in case of emergencies.
November 16, 2008 2:01 PM | Reply | Permalink
If my family and friends in Rochester are any indication, it won't play well at all.
On the plus side for Rudy, though, is the fact that Republicans just got squashed, and he could make the argument that it'd be better to have a Republican in the Governor position than a Democrat. And I think that would be very popular in all the red sections in upstate and western NY.
November 16, 2008 2:22 PM | Reply | Permalink
If he runs, I want his opponent to run Rudy's speech from the convention where he is so baffled about what a Community Organizer does. That comment really pissed me off. How could a former Mayor of NYC ridicule these people? NYC is held up by Community Organizers - it is an excellent example of what Community Organizers can achieve.
November 16, 2008 5:41 PM | Reply | Permalink
I can't wait to see what the NYFD says about a possible Guiliani bid for governor. I'm pretty sure they won't be too pleased with the idea, if their opposition to him during the primaries was any indication.
November 16, 2008 2:28 PM | Reply | Permalink
The New York Fire Fighters will come out swinging. As far as they're concerned, he ran his presidential campaign -- and made millions in his consulting business -- on the dead bodies of their brothers and sisters.
They rightly consider him at fault for the fact that the firefighters' radios didn't work in the WTC and so those in the north tower never heard the order to evacuate after the South Tower fell. Over 100 died as a result. (Giuliani knew the radios didn't work in the 1993 WTC bombing but botched an effort to get new ones that did.)
They rightly consider him at fault for locating his command center next door to America's number one terrorist target, which is why he was walking the streets of New York, unable to take command, on 9/11.
And they consider him at fault for trying to stop the recovery of bodies and switch to a "scoop and dump" operation as soon as buried gold belonging to a bank was found in the ruins.
They will never forgive him for any of this. And they will attack him relentlessly should he run for any other office in the future.
November 16, 2008 4:37 PM | Reply | Permalink
But think of the entertainment value!
November 16, 2008 4:31 PM | Reply | Permalink
This story was all over AM New York, one of the subway handout throwaway rags this morning...with a Kilroy-like half-head of Rudy peering out from under counterpanes. What a way to start a Monday morning.
November 17, 2008 8:46 AM | Reply | Permalink
Wasn't it South Carolina where Bill Clinton played the race card and talked about Jesse Jackson losing his bid for the presidency? Just wondering whether Bill will do a "mea culpa" blitz while he's stumping for Martin.
November 16, 2008 12:43 PM | Reply | Permalink
I'm sorry. Did he speak an untruth in South Carolina?
November 16, 2008 12:45 PM | Reply | Permalink
Even if he didn't "speak an untruth", couldn't he still be described as playing the race card?
I'm not saying that he did, but whether or not he was "truthful" seems separate from whether he was intentionally or unintentionally trying to inject race into the campaign.
November 16, 2008 12:49 PM | Reply | Permalink
Major mistake --- Georgia ain't no South Carolina. Mea Culpa.
November 16, 2008 12:45 PM | Reply | Permalink
Yes, it was SC. Bill can't offer a mea culpa that is plausible to the black community. His gong to Georgia will be good to get out Democrats that aren't black. Saxby Chamblis rode to office on the tales of Sony Perdue, I believe, and Perdue was the one insisting that the stars&bars flag still fly over the capitol of GA. At this juncture folks of color in GA believe that Clinton is just another cunning politician willing to use them to rile up the stars&bars crowd for votes.
WJC's main problem is that he isn't racist, but that just made his racemongering worse to PoC. They recognized that his pandering to generate racial polarization was political expediency at their expense. Given the race history in America, they understood that could cost lives.
Like John Lewis so eloquently put it. Wallace never fired a gun or threw a bomb, but he created an atmosphere of hate that resulted in folks bombing a church that killed 4 little girls on a Sunday morning.
Clinton was willing to generate that same atmosphere in hopes of white soldarity for HRC.
That along with Lewinsky will shadow him for the rest of his public life.
November 16, 2008 12:54 PM | Reply | Permalink
Well stated. Thanks.
November 16, 2008 12:56 PM | Reply | Permalink
I think the degree of difference between the two is huge. In fact, huge doesn't come close to nailing it.
If you try to put what he said there into proportion with what he did for AAs and race relations in this country, your characterization seems wildly exaggerated.
November 16, 2008 2:17 PM | Reply | Permalink
I completely disagree.
The emphasis is that you need not throw a bomb or fire a gun to create hostility and hate that results in death.
Any deeds to help someone become seriously diminish when they believe they can for political reasons generate a level of anger and hate that will galvanize folks to kill you.
Are you even aware of how hateful and numerous the threats are against Obama? Surely, you know that he had the highest secret service in the history of a presidential candidate, right?
Are you also aware of what President-elect Obamas motorcade entails? I read in my paper the following description of his motorcade...
two armored limosines
a communications vehicle ( think mobile war room)
a hazardous materials vehicle (combat biologics deployed)
and last of all the most ominous vehicle is last containing
seated armed to the teeth counterassault team riding with the windows DOWN vehicle.
DOWN!! the visual windows DOWN!!...that conveys we shoot first and ask questions later.
That is something I cannot immagine on an American street with a dignitary but am familiar with as a third world country like Bogota.
So, what WJC did was reprehensible...he contributed to this atmosphere of hate and he fanned the flames of racial hostilty as a FORMER PRESIDENT!!
He was the most powerful leader in the FREE WORLD and he resorted to his sanctioning racemongering.
That is a huge and enduring image. Nothing he does can diminish that. Nothing. He abused his power and standing not just in the eyes of African Americans but in the eyes of those who love this nation and want to get beyond divisive issues like race.
None of his government appointments offset that.
November 16, 2008 5:08 PM | Reply | Permalink
I can understand your hard feelings towards Big Dawg. Some of my friends liked Obama but did not support him because they feared for his life.
I was silently very nervous about his acceptance speech at Mile High, and I was hugely relieved when it was over.
I really try to avoid absolutes and I do try to have a sense of proportion about things. I would judge Clinton's foot-in-mouth moment by how much racial anger it stirred up among rednecks. That's a measure of how much it increased the danger to BigO. My read is that it didn't gin up much anger; it was more dismissive than anything else.
I just can't see comparing BillC with George Wallace. For that matter, that didn't come close to the McSlime campaign's remarks about palling around with terrorists.
As far as holding a grudge, and even expressing it, that's your privilege. But you might consider how much of a grudge Obama holds towards Slick Willie. After all, it's his life that was/is on the line.
What do you think Obama would suggest you do?
November 16, 2008 7:21 PM | Reply | Permalink
Bill and Hillary are history. Give them their due. Bill rescued the Dem party from oblivion in '92. If there hadn't been a successful Dem admin to look back upon in recent history, I doubt Obama would have had a chance. Now, we have a chance to change history, but it's only gonna happen if we all pull together. I watched Barack on 60" tonite in a bar and I smiled the whole time. I saw so many people stop on their way to the rest room and look at him, it was crazy. The general sense I got from most folks down here was that while he might not have been their first choice, they were pretty intrigued with where things might go. Now, we have to sit back back and let the man run the show. Y'all were impressed with how he ran his campaign, now let him impress us in the real job.
We don't talk much about politics in bars down here, but a guy who serves me drinks all the time saw me smiling at the screen tonite, and he came up and told me how me how pleased he was with the turn of the events. He wasn't necessarily an Obama supporter (or even a Dem), but he liked the liked the idea of change and was willing to see where it took it us. Couldn't be be any worse. Now, I know that is not the best we can hope for in support, but if you live down here, it's way cool!!
November 16, 2008 10:05 PM | Reply | Permalink
Sounds very encouraging. Considering the shitstorm that's just started to hit us, we're gonna need all the coming together we can find.
Thanks for the reminder. Gotta go see if my girlfriend's TiVo picked that up!
November 17, 2008 12:21 AM | Reply | Permalink
If you know something that the New York Times and the Washington Post doesn't, I'm sure they'd love to hear from you. That level of vetting pretty much implies to me that she's going to be utilized by the new administration in some major way, shape or form, even if it's from the Senate.
November 17, 2008 8:36 AM | Reply | Permalink
I think he meant that differently from how it's usually taken. It had me scratching my head for a minute before putting it together with his following context.
November 17, 2008 10:52 AM | Reply | Permalink
Jzap,
It just seems that you are not getting the point, perhaps that is because you are immune to the atmosphere of hate and hostility WJC stirred up as 'a friend of blacks' which sanctioned even more Palin's white polarization tactics. The crazies in our society feed on that.
You need not be Wallace to throw meat to the lions. That is the point. Bill created the same ATMOSPHERE and more importantly made it acceptable to do.
As for what Obama would do...he is riding around with a Counterassaultteam, now...the average citizen can't do that.
And that atmosphere of hate that WJC was instrumental in ginning up..is out there and it is alive and furiously acting on the warped ideas it creates, which is why Obama not only has a counterassault team..but they ride with the windows DOWN.
November 17, 2008 11:45 AM | Reply | Permalink
For a good read about Obama's road to victory, including the Billaries' involvement, you might enjoy this New Yorker article.
It might be a bit long for some, but here's a relevant excerpt:
November 16, 2008 4:29 PM | Reply | Permalink
Why didn't Clinton mention that Gore and Edwards won SCin the primaries as well? Why did he seek to make Obama's win about blacks voting for blacks? Even WJC did not win a majority of the white vote when he was elected President. Yet WJC felt compelled to seek to polarize on the basis of race in hopes of white solidarity getting behind HRC.
What WJC did was reprehensible.
November 16, 2008 5:13 PM | Reply | Permalink
Nor did he apologize. Instead he insisted that his words were misconstrued.
November 16, 2008 5:50 PM | Reply | Permalink
He should have apologized.
But I can see how Clinton thought his remarks were misconstrued. I suspect he meant to be dismissive of Obama's win because, like Jesse Jackson's, it came largely from the strong turnout of AA voters. And that might make it a less reliable indicator of how BigO would fare among a wider electorate.
I'd characterize them as stupid and irresponsible.
November 16, 2008 7:28 PM | Reply | Permalink
No, Bill didn't "play the race card" in South Carolina. The problem was that he hadn't yet realized that everyone could talk about race except the Clintons. South Carolina was the first state where any of the candidates had a huge margin of victory. It's pretty standard procedure when you're on the losing end of a blowout to try and minimize the damage. This isn't nefarious, it's called politics.
Bill pointed out that there is precedent in South Carolina for the black population turning out in force to elect a black candidate. The notion that he wsas positioning Obama as the "black candidate" is just stupid. Obama's race was always a part of this campaign, and everyone knew it. A guy gets 95 percent of the vote from an important bloc, but everyone's supposed to pretend black voters in S. Carolina just overwhelmingly preferred Obama's stance on the issues. Please. Not to mention the number of black Hillary supporters who were pressured as being traitors to their race. The Obama campaign played the race card early and often. If Obama was white, would he have received 95 perecnt of the black vote anywhere? Would anyone have, for that matter?
And before anyone mischaracterizes what I'm saying, I have no problem with 95 percent of the black vote going to Obama. Given the historical ramifications, I would expect it.
Prior to every primary, the pundits focused on the black vote in that state, and what it would mean for Obama's chances. He was considered to have a chance in some southern states for one reason and one reason only: the black vote. Everyone, including the heroes of the Obama supporters, Olbermann and Mathews, talked about Obama's race incessantly during the election. But somehow every mention of race by Clinton (or even things that had nothing to do with race, like the fairy tale remark) was portrayed as race baiting. The Obama people started this with the MLK remarks, Jesse Jackson Jr. continued it with his Katrina comments, and all of the guilty white liberals soon joined in. Calling someone a racist in the Democratic Party is like calling them a child molester, but Obama's surrogates and supporters joined in with glee. The Clintons have done way too much for the Democratic Party to deserve such treatment, and it's why Clinton is still angry with Clyburn.
It was shameful. It's Bill and Hillary Clinton who are owed the apology.
And the fact that Edwards won the South Carolina primary is a silly argument. Bill didn't say that S. Carolina voters would only vote for a black candidate. It would only mean something if Edwards had beaten a credible black candidate.
The "hardworking white voters" quote was another joke. All the pundits were talking about was how Obama was having trouble with the white vote. Somehow, his ability to bring in the black vote was a virtue, but Hillary's ability to bring in the white vote was a crime, and unmentionable. And politicians use the terms "working" and "hardworking" a dozen times a day. The notion that saying "hardworking white people" means that you're saying black people aren't hardworking is ludicrous, and evidence of more of the race baitng. Since Hillary didn't mention any other race, are we also to construe that she thought Latinos aren't hardworking? How about Asians? It's illogical to argue that saying a positive thing about one race means you're implicitly making a negative comment about other races. But all it takes is for blowhards like Olbermann to go "there she goes again" and logic goes out the window.
November 16, 2008 10:05 PM | Reply | Permalink
The point you are missing is that Blacks vote 95% Democrats anyway!! So, it was WJC who focused on race. He didn't say anything about race when Gore and Edwards won the 90% of the black vote. That is the issue.
It is crazy to say blacks voted merely on race when they consistently for the past 4 decades vote Democratic.
Moreover, Hillary had more of the black vote until WJC started with his race-baiting and let's be clear about that. The race-baiting started in NH and it just got WORSE in SC.
November 17, 2008 11:53 AM | Reply | Permalink
I will volunteer and call and donate as much as I can so Rudy will not be Governor of my state. NO WAY!
November 16, 2008 12:43 PM | Reply | Permalink
Why is an EX mayor in Dubai? Anyone who has business in Dubai has no business in our Government.
November 16, 2008 12:44 PM | Reply | Permalink
They've got more of our money than we do and it's cheaper to borrow than than it is to print.
November 16, 2008 1:15 PM | Reply | Permalink
Why did Obama resign so soon - Is it to stay out of the upcoming Senate fights? The Lieberman vote and the lame-duck session? Does Biden stay on for the time being because of his high ranking committee chairmanships and the certain vulnerability America is put at during Presidential transitions?
With Greg Craig getting the White House Counsel appointment, I think it's safe to assume Eric Holder will be Attorney General. There was the rumor that he might not want to open himself up to the political scrutiny, but White House Counsel would have been his other option, assuming he wants a role in the administration.
November 16, 2008 12:44 PM | Reply | Permalink
I suspect Obama's resignation provides the appearance of detachment from the current politics in the Senate, and allows him to focus on his upcoming White House responsibilities.
November 16, 2008 12:48 PM | Reply | Permalink
That, and if he resigns soon enough, his replacement will get in before the other new Senators, thus giving his replacement seniority over the other new Senators. (Seriously.)
November 16, 2008 1:25 PM | Reply | Permalink
With Greg Craig getting the White House Counsel appointment, I think it's safe to assume Eric Holder will be Attorney General.
What else can you tell us about Eric Holder? I thought Janet Napolitano was the front-runner. Which do you think is more likely to dig into the various and sundry BushRoveCheney crimes?
November 16, 2008 1:37 PM | Reply | Permalink
For AG i actually think Tim Kaine might be more likely than Napolitano. This is because out of the young democratic governors that have their term limits come in for 2009 and 2010, Kaine is the one of the three (Kaine, Napolitano, Sebelius) that doesn't have a potential senate seat to run for in 2010 (Napolitano vs McCain; Sebelius vs Brownback's GOP successor) These are things that should be considered here, as in both of those cases, the governors will be the only chance for Dems to pick up these seats
November 16, 2008 2:40 PM | Reply | Permalink
If Janet resigns to take the AG job, Arizona gets a GOP governor (Jan Brewer). Plus the GOP actually solidified its grip (slightly) on the Legislature in the recent election. Sad but true.
If Janet leaves, the GOP is going to be able to do whatever it wants here. Slash the safety net at the worst possible time, pass all manner of harsh anti-choice laws, and other assorted acts of wingnuttery. I am sure they would love it if Janet would go to DC.
Please, Janet... stay in Arizona!
November 16, 2008 4:46 PM | Reply | Permalink
Similarly, if Kaine resigns, VA gets a Republican governor (Bill Bolling).
November 16, 2008 5:57 PM | Reply | Permalink
Eric Holder is a Columbia Law grad and would be the first African American AG. Former deputy attorney general (under Janet Reno). Holder was a key player in Obama's vice presidential vetting process, was the campaigns senior legal advisor. He was a U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia under former President Clinton, and even served as acting attorney general years later, just before John Ashcroft took over. Holder has spent the last six years as a corporate litigator and white-collar defense attorney at the powerhouse D.C. law firm of Covington & Burling.
McCain raised a minor stink about him being on Obama's VP vetting team because he recommended the Presidential pardon to Marc Rich at the end of Clinton's second term. That could be an issue again and reason for Holder to pass on the job, though it seems like there could be more to the Rich story than meets the eye.
November 16, 2008 4:18 PM | Reply | Permalink
Holder was also the counsel, directed by WJC, to pardon all those folks in the last weeks of his Presidency.
November 16, 2008 5:16 PM | Reply | Permalink
Word, anew08 -- here is another New Yorker, though of the northern, rural variety, who will do everything I can to prevent Rudy Ratface from becoming governor of NY.
November 16, 2008 12:45 PM | Reply | Permalink
I think you're being insulting to rats...
November 16, 2008 1:00 PM | Reply | Permalink
I agree - rats are sweet, smart and gentle. Rudy's more of a snake.
November 16, 2008 1:41 PM | Reply | Permalink
You're right. Sorry. My apologies to any rats reading this thread -- and to rats in general. Rats have lots more integrity than Rudy G.
November 16, 2008 1:53 PM | Reply | Permalink
Well, we need another comparison, it seems, and I'm guessing that any animal is going to look good in comparison.
Rudy the Cockroach? Scuttles around in the dark, impossible to get rid of, and all around just gross to look at?
November 16, 2008 2:11 PM | Reply | Permalink
Cockroach seems about right. A big, fat nasssty one!
Snakes, OTOH, are pretty cool. Lizards, too!
November 16, 2008 2:21 PM | Reply | Permalink
Bedbugs? By the way, we Jack Russells do have a bit of a genetic predisposition to grab rats by the neck and shake until dead. Usually I control myself. So, again, my apologies to the rodent population.
November 16, 2008 3:21 PM | Reply | Permalink
Even snakes are sweeter.
November 16, 2008 1:58 PM | Reply | Permalink
And Byron Dorgan...
(Liebersuck injection alert)
November 16, 2008 2:11 PM | Reply | Permalink
Woops, a wrong place. I gotta repost below, sorry.
November 16, 2008 2:14 PM | Reply | Permalink
Rats spread disease - think bubonic plague!
November 16, 2008 11:28 PM | Reply | Permalink
Rudy's platform, "Me, I, 9/11."
November 16, 2008 1:06 PM | Reply | Permalink
Wait, where's the verb?
November 17, 2008 8:50 AM | Reply | Permalink
Welcome to the Anti-Climatic Post-Election News coverage.
November 16, 2008 1:10 PM | Reply | Permalink
For those who are interested in the 2009 and 2010 elections (already!!), there's a fair amount of recruitment news in Nevada, North Carolina and Virginia with potential candidates already positioning themselves.
November 16, 2008 1:14 PM | Reply | Permalink
bad link
November 16, 2008 1:19 PM | Reply | Permalink
Election Central is apparently due to stay just as it is.
I thought it might change name as well but since we do live in the era of the near permanent election cycle Election Central will remain.
The GOP is already talking 2012. (please please give us Palin to run against! It would be so much fun!!)
I would love to see Rudy get stomped in a NY election. Would be nice to drive him off the stage.
November 16, 2008 1:27 PM | Reply | Permalink
I would love to see Rudy get stomped in a NY election. Would be nice to drive him off the stage.
Then he could have a snit-fit and say "you won't have Rudy 91u1ani to kick around anymore" and then
... wait - I don't like where this leading
November 16, 2008 1:39 PM | Reply | Permalink
I just had an epiphany that has made me come to realize that the next Secretary of State that Barack Obama should pick should be Gov. Bill Richardson.
Richards was the first to endorse Obama, when Obama was in the roughest of times, and when Bill did everyone else sort of followed toed behind him with endorsements.
John Edwards
Al Gore
Wesley Clark
Hillary Clinton
Bill Clinton
even Geraldine Ferraro (you had to hear her comments about Sarah Palin post VP debate ;) )
November 16, 2008 1:35 PM | Reply | Permalink
Actually Kerry was the first.
November 16, 2008 1:47 PM | Reply | Permalink
I was referring to just this year.
November 16, 2008 2:34 PM | Reply | Permalink
Not to mention that John Kerry is the one who gave him the keynote role at the 2004 convention, which essentially is what made an Obama presidency in 2008 possible.
November 16, 2008 5:30 PM | Reply | Permalink
with all due respect it was the Republican Party's foolish handling of the vacant Illinois seat that their candidate Alan Keyes lost in a landslide defeat to Obama. If it wasn't for Keyes' candidacy, or the RNC's mishap that year, or that Rep that caught in that scandal for which Keyes then had to sub for in replacement led Obama to the Presidency today.
November 16, 2008 6:28 PM | Reply | Permalink
BigO gets elected prez and leaves the Senate. Stevens gets convicted and stays. Ironic.
Damn! This is no time for complacency!
November 16, 2008 1:48 PM | Reply | Permalink
Seriously. It's been 12 days, and global warming continues, the economy is in shambles, there's no vaccine for AIDS, our troops are still in Iraq, and Dubya is still in the White House. I didn't vote for Obama just so he could take all this time between the election and the Inauguration (and WTF is up with waiting so long before taking the oath of office, anyway? Nov. 22 is too soon? Is he afraid?) and spend it lollygagging around Chicago (he's probably hooking up with Bill Ayers as we speak). I am deeply disappointed in how he's gotten out of the gate, frankly.
November 16, 2008 2:08 PM | Reply | Permalink
I prefer Bill Richardson but I think the next Secretary of State most likely will be Hillary Clinton. Obama has many reasons why he wants her OUT of the Senate while he is the President. Besides I actually think that Hillary will do an excellent job as the Secretary of State.
I prefer Janet Napolitano for the Attorney General job than Holder. Not only do I think that she is the best person for the job but Obama is getting more pressure (as he should) to make sure women are well represented in his cabinet. Besides Eric Holder being involved with Marc Rich's pardon may prevent him from getting the AG job.
November 16, 2008 1:58 PM | Reply | Permalink
Hillary is not a strategic visionary and she will make a poor SoS, she is also a self proclaimed fighter not a diplomat and she is not a team player. Hillary knows little about foreign policy and her and Bill were domestic policy wonks, not FP. Bill does not need a world stage again with the ability to deploy his spouse on global projects for his self-interest. Hill cannot control Bill, either. Bill has baggage, from foreign country deals to foreign donors to his library. Baggage the Obama administration does not need.
We need some with strategic vision, like Lugar or a Zbig Brzenzski and diplomacy skills.
Richardson has the diplomacy skills and Obama may be the one to set the strategic vision.
November 16, 2008 5:26 PM | Reply | Permalink
My concern with Hillary as SoS is that Obama's important agenda would be overshadowed by the media's attention on the Clintons, and they would probably encourage that attention.
November 16, 2008 5:55 PM | Reply | Permalink
Rudy's a bit delusion with his bid but I guess he figures he suddenly has a shot now that Bloomberg's going to be mayor of New York for another term.
November 16, 2008 2:12 PM | Reply | Permalink
He is delusional. I like Bloomberg. I don't follow NY politics too much, but what I like about Bloomberg is that there has been very little drama from his administration, he makes an effort to improve the quality of life in NYC and most of all - he has made a good effort when it comes to providing affordable housing. In addition, he did not make a fool of himself like Rudy during the GE. Some people have issues with him however, especially over the third term issue and toll hikes.
November 16, 2008 11:38 PM | Reply | Permalink
Nah, those issues are insignificant. Bloomberg's great. This is real inside baseball, but the toll hike thing is particularly BS when you consider (a) that it's a good idea; and (b) Giuliani was a conniving dick on the subject of toll hikes with that corrupt SI dirtbag Molinari, screwing around with toll hikes on the Verrazano. Totally fucked up street traffic in SoHo for years, and it was illegal.
November 17, 2008 11:31 AM | Reply | Permalink
And Byron Dorgan...
(Liebersuck injection alert)
November 16, 2008 2:15 PM | Reply | Permalink
I saw that. Three Senators publicly saying that what Joe did was unacceptable (just wish Dorgan had gone all the way and said no chairmanship).
November 16, 2008 2:24 PM | Reply | Permalink
Ya think behind those three there are more who think the same but just haven't made it public? I really, really hope that's the case.
November 16, 2008 2:31 PM | Reply | Permalink
Interesting tidbit: John Kyl (R-AZ) observed that LieberSchmuck's decision about which party to caucus with -- whether he stays with the Dems or jumps to the GOP -- was not likely to change how he votes on any specific issue.
I think this is true. It's a point that should be considered by those worrying about the 60-vote threshold. Kissing Holy Joe's ass is unlikely to affect how he'll vote on any motions for cloture. That'll be determined by the issue and how he feels about it.
November 16, 2008 2:39 PM | Reply | Permalink
HELP. Can anyone help me with this?
When I click on any hot like under the header Inside Cafe...I get this screen that says movable type error.
Does anyone know what that means? Is access to that area of the site limited?
Prior to this TPM-EC dedicated to the election that was where the best and most productive discussions occured. TPM-EC was created due to the troll influx.
November 16, 2008 2:16 PM | Reply | Permalink
TPM EC was created in June 2006.
November 16, 2008 2:46 PM | Reply | Permalink
Oh, thanks for that link. June 2006 was just about when I started getting addicted to EC.
My favorite story? (It will seem tame, given the PIGS fly and dog excrement episodes that are described)
And some 60 days later, we know what happaned.
November 16, 2008 2:58 PM | Reply | Permalink
Interesting that Josh didn't announce TPM EC on the front page until a month and half after it started.
No mention of trolls as a reason for its creation. Perhaps veterans of TPMCafé have more intimate familiarity with the circumstances of TPM EC's birth.
November 16, 2008 4:01 PM | Reply | Permalink
You had to be on board as a visitor in the years prior to TPM-EC to note what happened to the Coffee House and Cafe.
November 16, 2008 5:21 PM | Reply | Permalink
That makes sense. At that time I was only a front-page reader (plus some TPMMuckraker).
November 16, 2008 6:21 PM | Reply | Permalink
To Guiliani: I'm an independent who has totally lost respect for you because of your actions during the convention and general election campaign. Once you did that robocall, you blew any credibility as a future leader of the country.
November 16, 2008 3:24 PM | Reply | Permalink
Time for the Bushification of Chambliss....
This would really will help voters take a second look. Help see how the senator who voted with Bush 92% of the time is just what the state of Georgia doesn't need right now.
This race was written off from the start, and that drew energy away from it. Round one was in itself an upset and resources can now be poured into it.
Would Obama take an afternoon off to fly in to Georgia, do a rally in Atlanta on December 1rst?
If the polls show that things are neck and neck, I wouldn't bet against it. I would also place a call to Sam Nunn and get him to a few events, do a few interviews. This should be an all hands on deck scenario; this is how the republicans are seeing it (hello Obama agenda, goodbye obstructionist republicans).
This is all about gotv, and peeling away some of those experiencing cognitive dissonance (buyers remorse from voting for Chambliss). "I didn't know he got four Vietnam draft deferments...trick knee".
BTW there is early voting for this race.
November 16, 2008 5:03 PM | Reply | Permalink
I can see it in his face and hear it in his voice...Bush is drinking again...to the point of having to have a certain blood level alcohol content to function normally. It's most obvious in his laugh. Just saying.
Maybe he can get some help from the prison staff (after he leaves office, of course) for his problem.
November 16, 2008 6:24 PM | Reply | Permalink
Maybe he could bum some Vicodin from Rush Limbaugh? That'd make it easier to get through the day.
November 16, 2008 7:33 PM | Reply | Permalink
Cindy would be a better connection.
November 17, 2008 4:45 AM | Reply | Permalink
Bill Clinton:
Why won’t you list the contributors to your presidential library? What are you trying to hide? “I never had sex with that woman.” Of course not, she had it with you, right? How stupid and forgetful do you think the people of Georgia really are? Just another bunch of “southern country bumpkins” like in Arkansas? Save the embarrassment and stay “home” in New York.
November 16, 2008 7:42 PM | Reply | Permalink
Gosh darn it Bobbie there you go again talkin about the past....
November 16, 2008 8:04 PM | Reply | Permalink
With what we've been through recently and are yet to go through, it's unlikely that New Yorkers will go for a Godfather type figure in selecting their next governor. Only chance of a Republican winning that job would be if TR rose from the dead or if the present governor was discovered to be a cross-dressing J. Edgar Hoover imitator and found running around naked in Congressional Cemetery - wearing somone's (stolen) bouffant wig.
November 16, 2008 9:33 PM | Reply | Permalink
Living in the ignominy of Georgia, I implore you to please help us. Chambliss' ads have been 100% along the lines of "electing Martin will result in one-party rule." He hasn't said one word about what he will do to fix things. I donated to Martin's campaign, but I am poor. Chambliss has a big war chest, so if any of you out still have some to spare, please go to Martinfor Senate.com. It will be the greatest day in history if Georgia Dems restore their senate seat. We will have reclaimed the south and then it is game over!!!
November 16, 2008 9:49 PM | Reply | Permalink
Living in the ignominy of Georgia, I implore u 2 please help us. Chambliss' ads have been 100% along the lines of electing Martin will result in one-party rule. I donated to his campaign, but I am poor. chambliss has a big warchest, so if any of you out still have some to spare, please go to a href= "http://www.martinforsenate.com/">Martinfor Senate.com. It will be the greatest day in history if Georgia Dems restore their senate seat. We will have reclaimed the south and then it is game over!!!
November 16, 2008 10:19 PM | Reply | Permalink
I chipped in a bit via his Act Blue page. Thinking of adding a bit to it.
Chambliss really fries my ass. He's such a scumbag.
November 17, 2008 12:26 AM | Reply | Permalink
People... if you missed 60 Minutes today, here's the video.
http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=4608192n
November 16, 2008 11:49 PM | Reply | Permalink
Thanks geo. I have been looking all over for it.
This guy is pretty cool. I loved when he apologized to his wife when he was to talk football. Also, his MIL reply was quick thinking on his part because I have been shit-canned a few time for not being quick enough or smart enough.
November 17, 2008 1:48 AM | Reply | Permalink
Breaking News!!!
This just in from a Democratic source close to someone who once heard of Barack Obama...
President Elect Obama has decided to offer Senator John McCain, at their meeting later today, a position in his cabinet. Obama will propose the creation of a new cabinet-level position: Secretary in Charge of Getting Osama bin Laden.
Obama is reported to have said, or at least dreamed about saying, "My friend John McCain is uniquely qualified to head up the new Department of Getting Osama bin Laden. As Sec'y of GOBL, John will embark immediately on a perilous journey to the Gates of Hell. Vice President Dick Cheney has already given him the keys. We all wish John well in this most courageous undertaking. Today, we are all John McCain."
November 17, 2008 4:11 AM | Reply | Permalink