In an attempt to reverse Obama's surge in Iowa, Hillary Clinton has lifted a "trade secret" straight from Halpern and Harris: run toward your weakness. Her enemies during the battles of the 1990s portrayed Hillary as a ruthless, ultra-feminist liberal. Obama has not-so-subtly alluded to these memories with his electibility argument: do Democrats really want to nominate someone, he asks, that stirs the passions of every grassroots GOP voter?
To combat this argument, Clinton has begun to highlight her softer side -- she has become more "emotional" at recent speeches in Iowa and is airing ads featuring her mother and daughter gushing about how warm and caring she is. She has also launched a website, CNN reports, showing Hillary as a strong Senator who works hard for everyday people like you and me.
These efforts represent an attempt to drive down her infamous high "unfavorable" ratings the media has worried about and to steal (or at least mitigate) the "nice guy" image that Obama enjoys.
Monday, December 17, 2007
Thursday, December 13, 2007
An active-postive President in the making?
While hardly an election-changing event, Thursday's Democratic debate allowed Senator Obama to look like a front-runner. He earned the praise of David Yepsen, the "dean" of Iowa political reporting, and the general wisdom is that he has finally "hit his stride" as a candidate. This afternoon, he projected authority, poise and a good sense of humor.
The moderator pointed out that some of the big names among Obama's foreign policy advisers once worked in the Clinton White House. How, then, would he "still deliver the kind of break from the past" promised to voters?
Hillary, off-camera, responded with a boisterous laugh that could barely contain her sarcasm: "I want to hear that!" she cackled. Obama, undaunted, brushed off Hillary's response with a disarming smile. Demonstrating a newfound grasp of the art of the soundbite, he coolly told the one-time frontrunner that he was "looking forward to you advising me as well."
While definitely trivial in the grand scheme of things, this episode suggests Obama's increasing confidence as a candidate. Previously, he seemed uncomfortable engaging in the nitty-gritty of campaign warfare. Now, however, he appears to have found a way to make it interesting for him and, as a result, be able to deliver convincing performances at debates.
The moderator pointed out that some of the big names among Obama's foreign policy advisers once worked in the Clinton White House. How, then, would he "still deliver the kind of break from the past" promised to voters?
Hillary, off-camera, responded with a boisterous laugh that could barely contain her sarcasm: "I want to hear that!" she cackled. Obama, undaunted, brushed off Hillary's response with a disarming smile. Demonstrating a newfound grasp of the art of the soundbite, he coolly told the one-time frontrunner that he was "looking forward to you advising me as well."
While definitely trivial in the grand scheme of things, this episode suggests Obama's increasing confidence as a candidate. Previously, he seemed uncomfortable engaging in the nitty-gritty of campaign warfare. Now, however, he appears to have found a way to make it interesting for him and, as a result, be able to deliver convincing performances at debates.
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
SF Straw Poll Links
Sorry!! My hyperlinks didn't work. The Youtube video can be found at: http://youtube.com/watch?v=lFao5EilpCw&feature=related . The article can be found at: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/12/10/BAOLTQJLN.DTL (then scroll to the bottom of the page).
SF Straw Poll Canceled
Below is a little piece on what's going on in San Fran with Ron Paul:
GOP goes wild: San Francisco Republicans have managed to prove that they can be just as wacky as the rest of the bunch.
It all started when the San Francisco Republican Alliance, one of many small GOP clubs in town, got together at the Holiday Inn at Fisherman's Wharf the other night for a little pre-election dinner and presidential straw poll.
The keynote speaker, Republican state Sen. Sam Aanestad of Grass Valley in Nevada County, delivered a long-winded speech on behalf of his candidate, Fred Thompson, leaving little time for other speakers.
But it did give Ron Paul backers time to put out a call for their supporters to show up - and the result was dozens of Paul's posse members trying to get in as Thompson's folks cried foul.
Club president Gail Neira, dressed in red and wearing a Santa cap, then got up and canceled the vote.
The stormy aftermath was caught on video by a Paul supporter, who promptly posted it on YouTube (watch here)
"This is why people are leaving the Republican Party," one Paul backer is overheard shouting. "You can't say, 'Come to a straw poll,' then cancel it."
"Yes, we can," one man replies.
"I want my money back," says another.
The video finishes with an older Paul backer angrily telling Neira, "You are a disgrace to the Republican Party."
What the tape doesn't capture is the hotel security guards who were called soon after to restore order and clear the room.
Neira says her phone has been ringing off the hook ever since from furious Paul supporters from all over the country. Still, rules are rules, and she was the one who got to make them. And as far as she's concerned, this was an invitation-only dinner.
"I don't believe in rewarding people who breach my protocol," she said.
No word yet on a plans for a sequel.
The article above can be found at sfgate.com.
GOP goes wild: San Francisco Republicans have managed to prove that they can be just as wacky as the rest of the bunch.
It all started when the San Francisco Republican Alliance, one of many small GOP clubs in town, got together at the Holiday Inn at Fisherman's Wharf the other night for a little pre-election dinner and presidential straw poll.
The keynote speaker, Republican state Sen. Sam Aanestad of Grass Valley in Nevada County, delivered a long-winded speech on behalf of his candidate, Fred Thompson, leaving little time for other speakers.
But it did give Ron Paul backers time to put out a call for their supporters to show up - and the result was dozens of Paul's posse members trying to get in as Thompson's folks cried foul.
Club president Gail Neira, dressed in red and wearing a Santa cap, then got up and canceled the vote.
The stormy aftermath was caught on video by a Paul supporter, who promptly posted it on YouTube (watch here)
"This is why people are leaving the Republican Party," one Paul backer is overheard shouting. "You can't say, 'Come to a straw poll,' then cancel it."
"Yes, we can," one man replies.
"I want my money back," says another.
The video finishes with an older Paul backer angrily telling Neira, "You are a disgrace to the Republican Party."
What the tape doesn't capture is the hotel security guards who were called soon after to restore order and clear the room.
Neira says her phone has been ringing off the hook ever since from furious Paul supporters from all over the country. Still, rules are rules, and she was the one who got to make them. And as far as she's concerned, this was an invitation-only dinner.
"I don't believe in rewarding people who breach my protocol," she said.
No word yet on a plans for a sequel.
The article above can be found at sfgate.com.
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
Romney Goes Negative in Iowa
The Huffington Post has a story from the AP today that says Mitt Romney has decided to pull the trigger on attack ads. Romney is putting out a spot in Iowa attacking Mike Huckabee on immigration. The ad is in response to Huckabee's recent ascent in the polls, as well as an ad Huckabee is airing touting his immigration policy. The ad also tries to downplay Romney's shaky past on social conservative issues.
Romney seems like the 2008 election cycle's equivalent to the person in Risk who gets a hold of Europe early on. It looks nice at first, but then you realize you've put yourself in the cross hairs of every one of your opponents and you can't commit enough forces to win on any front. Romney was looking great this summer, but now he has different opponents attacking him on different political fronts. It's going to be very difficult for him to balance his campaign strategy anddefend against each of them.
Romney seems like the 2008 election cycle's equivalent to the person in Risk who gets a hold of Europe early on. It looks nice at first, but then you realize you've put yourself in the cross hairs of every one of your opponents and you can't commit enough forces to win on any front. Romney was looking great this summer, but now he has different opponents attacking him on different political fronts. It's going to be very difficult for him to balance his campaign strategy anddefend against each of them.
Monday, December 10, 2007
Bill vs. Oprah
The New York Times reported today that Republicans are "uninspired" by their choice of candidates, according to a New York Times/CBS News Poll. In contrast, Democrats are continuing to support Clinton, citing her as more able to unite the country. Interestingly, 44% of Clinton supporters say that Bill's presence encourages them to support Hillary. Obama's most recent endorser, Oprah Winfrey, does not seem to have any influence. The polling data states that only 1% of voters believe that Oprah's involvement will influence their decision.
The latest poll also makes one question what the other candidates can do to catch up to the front-runners, according to another New York Times article. Voters are happier with candidates that explain their own position on issues instead of attacking the other candidates about their stances. It seems that being on the offensive is less appealing in 2008. Perhaps Democrats are still unable to forget Kerry's flip-flops from 2004.
The latest poll also makes one question what the other candidates can do to catch up to the front-runners, according to another New York Times article. Voters are happier with candidates that explain their own position on issues instead of attacking the other candidates about their stances. It seems that being on the offensive is less appealing in 2008. Perhaps Democrats are still unable to forget Kerry's flip-flops from 2004.
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