Elections Blog

Michael Totten is an independent blog-journalist who has covered the Middle East with support from his blog readers. He’s reported from Libya, Tunisia, Iraq, Turkey, Lebanon, Israel, and Egypt — and he’s now planning another trip.

We talk to Michael about what he’s observed, and what it’s like to make a career-change from blogger to professional blog-journalist. Plus, reviews of Libyan restaurants!

Play or download The Glenn and Helen Show: Michael Totten on Independent Journalism and the Middle East.

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http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2089-2383148,00.html Seems Gov. Romney’s ascent is so strong that they’re noticing clear on the other side of the Atlantic.

Although McCain remains the clear favourite to win the 2008 nomination, the search is on for a Republican who can unite the anti-McCain wing of the conservative movement.

Romney, whose Massachusetts state is usually a bastion of East Coast liberalism, is considered to be the coming man. At the party he beamed at John Fund, a staunchly right-wing writer for The Wall Street Journal, who had just written about how Romney was “wowing” social conservatives.

The clean-cut governor spent last weekend at the Family Research Council summit in Washington, the spiritual home of Christian “values voters” who provided the bedrock vote for Bush in 2004. Romney is a Mormon, which was once thought to be an insuperable barrier to winning evangelical support. “Everyone I talked to said they didn’t have a problem with it,” one attendee said.

Romney also benefits from chiselled good looks, delegates noted. “Many people say he certainly looks like a president — a sort of cross between Ronald Reagan and John F Kennedy,” swooned Genevieve Wood, founder of the conservative Center for a Just Society.

The future may not lie with an American elder statesman and his young British apprentice [British Conservative Party Leader David Cameron] but with two JFKs, who have yet to forge a relationship.

I wonder how long President Kennedy will continue to symbolize good looking and charismatic presidential contenders no matter where they stand politically. We’re fast approaching half a century since his election. Someone check if Kennedy was compared with President Pierce before he was elected.

~~~Thomas

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From NH INSIDER

The Union Leader reports, “Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, a potential candidate for President in 2008, will attend two events in New Hampshire this weekend. ”

“Romney will keynote the Republican State Committee’s state convention today at the Capitol Center for the Arts in Concord. The event begins at 9 a.m.”

“…Tomorrow, Romney will campaign for New Hampshire candidates at the Frank Jones Center on the Route 1 Bypass in Portsmouth, beginning at 4 p.m.”

More in depth from The Union Leader:

Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, a potential candidate for President in 2008, will attend two events in New Hampshire this weekend.

Romney will keynote the Republican State Committee’s state convention today at the Capitol Center for the Arts in Concord. The event begins at 9 a.m.

Prior to the convention, Romney is scheduled to host a breakfast for the delegates, also at the Capitol Center.

Tomorrow, Romney will campaign for New Hampshire candidates at the Frank Jones Center on the Route 1 Bypass in Portsmouth, beginning at 4 p.m.

Also expected to attend the rally are Sens. Judd Gregg and John Sununu, Rep. Jeb Bradley, state Sen. Charles Morse, who is a candidate for the Executive Council, and state Rep. Dan Hughes and Natalie Healey, who are state Senate candidates in the Portsmouth-Exeter area.

Ann Marie

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Is Zawahiri getting ready to run for the Democrats (video)?

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Salt Lake Tribune: “Ethanol was Exhibit A on Friday at the Western Presidential Primary Symposium in Salt Lake City, the evidence of why Utah and its Western neighbors need to band together with their own early presidential selection process. While ethanol is debated ad nauseam, Western issues like preparing for drought, managing public lands, guiding growth and complying with the Endangered Species Act are glossed over.

“‘When is it you ever knew a presidential candidate’s position on water?’ asked New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson.

“That’s all about to change, according to Western primary boosters. University professors, state executives, political advisers and lawmakers gathered Friday to build momentum for a scheduled Western States Presidential Primary on Feb. 5, 2008 - the first Tuesday in February. So far, Utah, Arizona and New Mexico have signed on.”

Deseret Morning News: “[Utah Governor Jon Huntsman Jr.] told participants at the Western Presidential Primary Symposium sponsored by the University of Utah’s Center for Public Policy and Administration that even with just four of eight states in the region participating in the process early, Utah will benefit. ‘We’ve never before forced the body politic, at least at a presidential level, to get smart about our issues,’ Huntsman said. For too long, he said, Utah and much of the rest of the West have been a fly-over zone for candidates seeking the nation’s highest office. The regional primary will attract candidates and their campaign spending to the state, the Republican governor said, as well as focus attention on regional issues such as water development, public land use and immigration. New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson also spoke at the symposium in favor of the primary. ‘The West has a new voice and a real choice in the selection of the next American president,’ Richardson, a potential Democratic presidential candidate, said.”

Category: 2008 Presidential Election

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http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2006/09/29/state_health_plan_costs_within_estimates/ In an age when you can mentally double any program’s projected cost, it’s nice when things go according to plan:

Governor Mitt Romney’s administration had estimated that premiums would be about $300 a month, while legislative staff members had predicted they would average $325.

Health and Human Services Secretary Timothy Murphy said yesterday the premiums are close enough to the administration’s predictions that he believes the program will have adequate funding, especially given that the number of uninsured residents has dropped since the initial calculations were made.

Of course it helps when the program is well-designed.

~~~Thomas

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Senator Clinton is a political “money machine.”  Regardless of what you think about her personally and politically, she is a ring master in the political circus.  By using her political celebrity as an icon of the Left, she raises money — lots of money.  In the past, money has been called the “mother’s milk” of politics.  And [...]

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“The fastest growing political party in America is no party, which is to say, that the fastest growing group of voters are unaffiliated with either party. That’s a market statement on the two major parties.” – Senator Joseph Lieberman

To download this video CLICK HERE.

On September 27, Senator Joseph Lieberman sat down with PajamasMedia CEO Roger L. Simon to talk about the poltical atmosphere of America, his own quest for re-election, and what it is like to be the front-running political hybrid in the race.

This is a video of that interview with a transcript. The podcast of this interview is HERE.

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Don’t get your hopes up Ted! I thought of you when I saw it!
Billionaire liberal financier George Soros, who spent millions of his fortune trying to oust President Bush in 2004, yesterday said he hopes to stay out of politics from now on.
“In the future, I’d very much like to get disengaged from …

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On September 27, Senator Joseph Lieberman sat down with PajamasMedia CEO Roger L. Simon to talk about the poltical atmosphere of America, his own quest for re-election, and what it is like to be the front-running political hybrid in the race.

This is a podcast of that interview with a transcript. The video of this interview is HERE.

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http://www.economist.com/world/na/displaystory.cfm?story_id=7971009 The Economist is a great magazine with a lot of smart readers. Here is what they have to say about Mitt:

Mitt Romney, the governor of Massachusetts, is making a concerted bid to seize the mantle as the leader of “the Republican wing of the Republican Party”…

Mr Romney is a scarily perfect presidential candidate. He has handsome looks—a mixture of Ronald Reagan and JFK, according to fans—and fearsome intelligence. He graduated from both Harvard Law School, cum laude, and Harvard Business School in the top 5% of his class…

John McCain has made a good job of turning himself into the party’s heir presumptive. But now Mr Romney is mounting a powerful assault from the right…

On September 22nd he delighted 1,800 “values voters” gathered in Washington, DC, with a barn-storming defence of traditional marriage and patriotism. He has vocally defended Mr Bush’s policies on the interrogation of suspected terrorists, and suggested that the authorities should spend more time monitoring mosques. For a growing number of conservatives he is the answer to their prayers: a man who can not only derail the McCain Express but also hold the White House in 2008.

Mr Romney’s emergence as a conservative champion owes something to luck. His two biggest rivals on the right have imploded: Bill Frist because of his lacklustre performance as Senate majority leader, George Allen because of his gaffe-ridden Senate campaign. But it owes more to years of investment. Mr Romney has not only fought harder than any other governor on “social issues”, particularly gay marriage. He has done so in the heart of enemy territory.

Mr Romney won the governorship of a state where only 13% of the voters are registered Republicans, and where the congressional delegation is 100% Democratic. And he succeeded in working with a legislature where 87% of the members represent the other party. When he was elected governor of Massachusetts in 2002, he found a $3 billion budget deficit; two years later he was running a surplus of more than $700m.

Click here to read more.

MR. 08 (Mister 08)
Mitt Romney 2008
04=W
08=M

And so forth…

Mike

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Andrew Sullivan: “Someone finally says no to torture.”

Category: 2008 Presidential Election

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Coyote Gulch has been reading this novel, Quicksilver: Volume One of the Baroque Cycle. The book spins a story or two around members of the Royal Society. We were pleased to learn today that the Royal Society has released 340 years of landmark science, electronically. From the press release, “The archive contains seminal research papers including accounts of Michael Faraday’s groundbreaking series of electrical experiments, Isaac Newton’s invention of the reflecting telescope, and the first research paper published by Stephen Hawking.”

Category: 2008 Presidential Election

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“Five years after 9/11, the worst attack on the American homeland in our history, Democrats offer nothing but criticism and obstruction and endless second-guessing,” Bush said at a Republican fundraiser.
“The party of FDR and the party of Harry Truman has become the party of cut and run,” Bush told a convention-center audience of over 2,000 …

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http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2006/09/27/romney_receives_backing_in_iowa_for_2006____and_perhaps_2008/ As reported by the Krusty Konsrvative a few days ago, Christopher Rants is the latest and highest ranking Mitt Head coming out of Iowa.

“I hope the governor chooses to keep this alliance moving forward,” said Rants, R-Sioux City. “I’m certainly on board for the long haul.”

With his decision, Rants becomes the highest-ranking Republican elected official in Iowa to sign on with a potential presidential candidate.

**********

Rants said he studied the potential Republican candidates who have been flocking to his state before deciding to back Romney. The speaker said he posed each candidate a series of questions, some about politics, others about specific issues.

“I saw in Gov. Romney a leader that I could put my trust in, somebody I thought would inspire other Republicans to follow,” he said.

Rants added: “I will speak for myself; I hope he has plans beyond 2006.”

One step closer.

~~~Thomas

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Even though the New York Times is telling you that the Democrats will win, this from Drudge paints a different picture. Historically, this item is correct s we have seen in the past 3 elections. The Democrats push the polls and then cry theft when the votes don’t match the polls!
Democratic pollsters are pushing …

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Denver and New York will be duking it out to host the 2008 Democratic National Convention, according to the Denver Post. From the article, “Colorado Democrats hoping to bring their party’s national convention to Denver in 2008 got a boost Wednesday from an unlikely source: Republicans. The GOP selected Minneapolis-St.Paul for its 2008 convention, effectively eliminating that city from contention for the Democratic National Convention. Denver and New York are now the two finalists to host the Democrats when they nominate their next presidential candidate. ‘This is incredible and fantastic,’ said City Councilwoman Elbra Wedgeworth, who is also president of Denver’s host committee. ‘In the West we feel like it is our time, and we think that will continue to show the strength of our bid.’ The GOP’s selection helps Denver because Democrats, in their request for bids, specifically forbade cities from hosting both conventions…

“Democrats are expected to make their decision after the November election. Denver now goes head-to-head with New York - a city with a proven record as a fundraising juggernaut. New York hosted the Republican convention in 2004.”

Category: 2008 Presidential Election

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There has been a media frenzy about “Condi vs Clinton” since the Fox News Sunday interview of President Clinton.
We were happy to hear that Sean, in the midst of this furor, conducted a telephone interview with Dr. Rice on his nationally syndicated radio show.
Visit Sean’s website.  He offers his online subscribers excellent content, living up to [...]

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Catherine Seipp’s daughter is starting college. After some motherly advice, Seipp observes that when it comes to life-saving medicine and vaccines, the far Right boasts as big a nut bowl as the far Left.

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Polical Wire: “The political strategy behind this [GOP choosing Minneapolis/St. Paul] is twofold, concerning location and timing. First, the choice of location should not be seen as simply an attempt to target the state of Minnesota for political persuasion by the GOP in 2008. The bordering swing states of Iowa and Wisconsin are also targets of this convention strategy. The Twin Cities lie close to the Wisconsin border and their media market extends far into Western Wisconsin. The Iowa border is two hours south of the Twin Cities and Iowa media will give the convention heavy play. In the three state area, the Twin Cities is the largest population center and is centrally located.

“Second, the timing of the decision reveals two goals. First and most obviously, the GOP seeks to preempt national Democratic efforts to convene in the Twin Cities. But also, the announcement gives Minnesota GOP candidates in 2006, particularly incumbent GOP governor Tim Pawlenty who is locked in a tight reelection race, something to crow about. Minnesotans tend to believe they don’t get the national attention they and their state deserve, and this national GOP decision may curry favor with Minnesota voters by shining a spotlight on the state.”

Category: 2008 Presidential Election

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