Jill Lawrence writes about White House '08, and comes up with quite a long list of names:
Republicans:
(In order of appearance)Bill Frist Rudy Giuliani John McCain Arnold Schwarzenegger George Allen Mitt Romney George Pataki Chuck Hagel
Democrats:John Edwards Howard Dean Hillary Clinton Mark Warner Phil Bredesen (TN Gov.) Mike Easley (NC Gov.) Rod Blagojevich (IL Gov.) Janet Napolitano (AZ Gov.) Bill Richardson Tom Vilsack Evan Bayh Jennifer Granholm (MI Gov.)
Wolfowitz with more power? Say it ain't so!
Aides to deputy defense secretary Paul Wolfowitz say he is likely to leave his job, and that he might be interested in taking Rice's place if she leaves.
California voters hoodwinked! Bamboozled! Flimflammed!
Forget provisional ballots in Ohio and hanging chads in Florida. The Orange Unified School District has its own election woe: It can't find the winner of Tuesday's board election.Not that formidable, I guess.
Public records point to the fact that Steve Rocco really does exist.
He's a registered voter. He owns a home in Santa Ana. And he filed paperwork in July to run for the school board.
After that, the details start getting sketchy.
He is registered to vote, though he declined to state a party. Neighbors who have lived next door to him for years say they've seen the 53-year-old man only occasionally, when he takes out the trash from the home he shares with his parents. On the ballot, he listed his occupation as teacher and writer, though proof of either is elusive.
Neither the district nor the registrar has a phone number on file for him, and nobody answered the door at his home.
Somehow, though, without mounting a real campaign, filing a candidate's statement or showing up at a community forum, he managed to upset his formidable opponent, Phil Martinez.
I hope to sweet, blessed Jesus that Alan Keyes makes a run at the White House in 2008.
Alan Keyes blamed the media and fellow Republicans on Thursday for his lopsided loss to Democrat Barack Obama in the U.S. Senate race in Illinois. Keyes also said he did not congratulate Obama after the race was called, a tradition among politicians, because doing so would have been a 'false gesture' because he believed Obama's views on issues such as abortion were wicked.
McCain kicks off his run at WH '08 with a visit to New Hampshire next week. (Why the hell else would he be going there?) Only 1,459 campaigning days left!
I hate to seem a conspiracy theorist, but how is this not more of an issue?
Franklin County's unofficial results had Bush receiving 4,258 votes to Democrat John Kerry's 260 votes in a precinct in Gahanna. Records show only 638 voters cast ballots in that precinct.
Ahnold cracks wise about the Democrats... again.
When asked if he would consider tax-increase proposals put forward by Democrats to help balance the budget, Schwarzenegger said, "Why would I listen to losers? Let's be honest - they have lost every single ballot in the Bay Area."
Of the 22 candidates who spent more than $1 million of their own money trying to win their first election to Congress, only one made it. The sole victor was Michael McCaul, a former federal prosecutor who won as a Republican in a Texas House district once represented by Lyndon B. Johnson. The biggest loser - in terms of money down the drain - was Blair Hull, a securities trader who spent nearly $29 million trying for a Senate seat but lost in the Illinois Democratic primary to Barack Obama.$29 million for a primary loss? March 16 must have been a rough night for that guy.
I understand that you probably can't win a target-shooting competition from a few thousand feet in the air... But missing by three and a half miles? Seems a bit much.
[W]hen the heavy gun in the left wing of an Air National Guard F-16 fighter jet fired Wednesday night, it sent 25 rounds of 20mm ammunition smashing through the roof and zinging off the asphalt parking lot of the Little Egg Harbor Intermediate School 3 1/2 miles from the range.
Mitch Daniels tackles the big issues early:
Gov.-elect Mitch Daniels today promised to fight to bring daylight-saving time to Indiana, while also laying out a transition plan centered on tackling state budget problems and making hiring decisions for key state posts.
Taking GOTV to new extremes:
[M]ore than 100 people were already in line, so Shaer went to the delivery room, gave birth, and returned to vote Tuesday night 30 minutes before the polls closed, intravenous drip in tow.
McCain waxes ridiculous about campaign finance reform:
The 2002 bill I sponsored with Sen. Russ Feingold, D-Wis., has worked well to achieve its most important objective. It was primarily designed to eliminate the corrupt influence that corporations, labor unions and wealthy individuals had on our government through their large soft-money contributions.Sure thing, John. "Worked well" indeed.
Arlen Specter gets feisty:
The Republican expected to chair the Senate Judiciary Committee next year bluntly warned newly re-elected President Bush today against putting forth Supreme Court nominees who would seek to overturn abortion rights or are otherwise too conservative to win confirmation.I guess now that the election's over, it's time for Specter to put Bush back at arm's length, where he likes him.
4 p.m. exit polls, via Slate (as seen on every other blog on the Internet):
FloridaAlso worth noting: post-4 p.m. numbers show Kerry up 51-48 nationally.
Kerry 50
Bush 49
Ohio
Kerry 50
Bush 49
Pennsylvania
Kerry 54
Bush 45
Wisconsin
Kerry 51
Bush 46
Michigan
Kerry 51
Bush 47
Minnesota
Kerry 58
Bush 40
Nevada
Kerry 48
Bush 50
New Mexico
Kerry 50
Bush 48
North Carolina
Kerry 49
Bush 51
Colorado
Kerry 46
Bush 53
The wacky hijinx of election fraud:
Some Michigan voters have received phone calls falsely claiming that Sen. John Kerry would make gay marriage legal. In New Jersey, some voters have heard a man claiming to be former Army Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf backing the Democrat. Elderly voters in Pennsylvania have been called and told they are ineligible to vote.
How to tell if your opponent isn't taking this campaign seriously: see if he shows up to your debate dressed like this.
Dark horse (read: "Losing") Senate candidate Art Small is selling his mobile campaign center, which includes such items as:
- Sunscreen, 1 tube
- Bug repellent
- Candy and gum
- Stickers
- Yard signs
- Party supplies: colorful balloons, silly string, napkins, plates, etc.
- Tailgate party supplies, including food, charcoal, napkins
- Pre-printed stamps -- great fun for parties
- Pens, poster markers, post-its, etc.
- Complete set of FEC campaign regulations
- Several photos of John Kerry and John Edwards
- Many photos of Art Small
- Thank You notes (from Art Small for Senate), with matching envelopes (blank)
Kerry reassures me he is the bigger jackass in this election.
Yago: Last time we talked, in March, you said that it's important to listen to hip-hop because it gives you a sense of what's going on in the street. Have you heard the new Eminem song that's been out?
Kerry: You know, I heard Eminem on "Saturday Night Live" last night. I heard the song that he did. I don't know if that's part of his new [album] or not. I liked it. But that's the only thing that I've heard in the last weeks. I'm on the trail. I'm campaigning every day.
Yago: Last question: If you're elected, will you come on MTV as president and speak with young people again?
Kerry: I would love it. I would absolutely love it. I'd really look forward to it. The answer is absolutely. With pleasure.
A strange coincidence: Brit Hume and John Kerry were boyhood friends.
For those readers gobsmacked by that information, consider that the future presidential candidate and TV news power broker were only about 4 feet tall and shared a passion for cartoons instead of politics. They met in kindergarten and hung together through fifth grade.
Shades of A Time to Kill in Montgomery:
Third Congressional District Democratic nominee Bill Fuller was injured and his home was destroyed in a fire early Friday, which the head of Montgomery County's Democratic Party said could be a hate crime.
An interesting statistic about the Daschle-Thune race:
Mr. Daschle and his Republican challenger, former Representative John Thune, will have spent nearly $30 million - roughly $40 per capita in the mainly rural state - by the time the race is over.$40 per capita! I don't know the exact numbers, but in the past year and a half of presidential campaigning (including the Democratic primaries), I'd guess the candidates' spending totaled $700-$800 million, or about one-twentieth of the per capita spending on the South Dakota Senate race.
