Jon Stewart takes John Edwards to task for some of the sillier things Edwards said in his confession:
John Edwards -- author of the famed claim that there are two Americas -- was apparently only faithful to his wife in one of them.
Obama was the choice of 32 percent of likely Democratic caucusgoers, up from 28 percent in the Register's last poll in late November, while Clinton, a New York senator, held steady at 25 percent and Edwards, a former North Carolina senator, was virtually unchanged at 24 percent.Democratic caucusgoers are opting for change over experience:
The poll reflects continued fluidity in the race even as the end of the yearlong campaign nears. Roughly a third of likely caucusgoers say they could be persuaded to choose someone else before Thursday evening. Six percent were undecided or uncommitted.
The poll also reveals a widening gap between the three-way contest for the lead and the remaining candidates. No other Democrat received support from more than 6 percent of likely caucusgoers.
Thirty percent of the poll's respondents said a candidate's ability to bring about change is the most important, followed by 27 percent who said their priority is choosing a candidate who will be the most successful in unifying the country.The poll was conducted December 27-30 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.5 percent.
[. . .]
Having the experience and competence to lead, which has been the crux of Clinton's closing argument, was seen as the most important to 18 percent of caucusgoers, with Clinton as the candidate most commonly rated best on this trait.
The first Iowa poll after Christmas campaign break finds the Huckabee implosion has begun in the Republican contest with Romney regaining the lead and a dead-heat among the three leading Democratic candidates>:
“On the Democratic side, the race is about as close as it can get, but keep an eye on Edwards,” said Brad Coker of Mason-Dixon Polling & Research, which conducted the survey. “Edwards has really moved up since our last poll. Obama and Clinton have each slipped a little bit.”In the Republican contest, Huckabee’s support dropped 8 percent in the last three weeks. While Huckabee's support fell, Romney regained 7 percent:
[. . .]
While the survey shows a virtual statistical tie, it also shows Edwards with some momentum heading into the final days. He's gained 3 percentage points since McClatchy-MSNBC polled Iowa before the holidays, while Clinton lost 4 points and Obama lost 3 points.
Also gaining were Richardson and Biden, each picking up 3 points.
The second tier is particularly important in Iowa’s Democratic caucuses, where a candidate can win delegates only if they register at least 15 percent support in each town hall-like precinct meeting. Voters whose candidates don’t make that threshold can support someone else.
As of now, that appears to help Edwards.
Iowa Republicans gave him their highest favorable rating, and he ranked first among GOP voters looking for experience, leadership and the ability to win in November. He also led among voters who ranked immigration, taxes or terrorism their top concerns.Don't bet the farm on these poll numbers. Polling for the Iowa caucuses isn't easy and the voters remain fickle. One in three Iowa Republicans and one in five Iowa Democrats say they might still change their preference.
A key gain: He now has the support of 27 percent of the state’s evangelical Christian Republicans, up sharply from 8 percent several weeks ago. Concerns about his Mormon faith appear to have ebbed.
Two different focus groups, one from CNN, as well as one from FoxNews, conclude that Hillary came in third in today's Des Moines Register Democratic debate.
The CNN group said Edwards won:
In interviews conducted immediately after Thursday's Des Moines Register debate, most of the 23 undecided Democratic voters surveyed said they thought former Sen. John Edwards came out on top and said he would get their vote if the election were held today.Frank Luntz’s Fox News focus group also had Hillary in third place behind Edwards and Obama:
Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois placed second in a focus group conducted by CNN when asked who would get their vote, and Sen. Hillary Clinton was the third choice.
Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and John Edwards — all had excellent afternoons. But nothing happened to knock Obama off his stride. Since he leads in the polls in Iowa, the event still leaves him ahead in the contest.The vaunted Hillary juggernaut has hit a proverbial brick wall and there is fury in Hillaryland.
The "Swift Boat Kids for Truth" are out with a new attack ad. This one takes on Hillary's infamous remark during the 1992 presidential campaign when she tried to say she liked her job. Or, as she put it
I suppose I could have stayed home and baked cookies and had teas, but what I decided to do was fulfill my profession.Hillary was blasted for disparaging domestic life and the cookie.
The Des Moines Register's new Iowa Poll finds Barack Obama has pulled ahead of Hillary:
Obama, an Illinois senator, leads for the first time in the Register's poll as the choice of 28 percent of likely caucusgoers, up from 22 percent in October. Clinton, a New York senator, was the preferred candidate of 25 percent, down from 29 percent in the previous poll.Obama is beating Hillary among women and younger voters:
Former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards, who led in the Register's May poll, held steady with 23 percent, in third place, but part of the three-way battle.
In the new poll, Obama leads with support from 31 percent of women likely attend the caucuses, compared to 26 percent for Clinton. In October, Clinton was the preferred candidate of 34 percent of women caucusgoers, compared to 21 percent for Obama.Rasmussen Reports calls the Iowa Democratic race "far too close to call."
Women represent roughly six in 10 Democratic caucusgoers, according to the new poll.
Obama also dominates among younger caucusgoers, with support from 48 percent from those younger than 35. Clinton was the choice of 19 percent in that group and Edwards of 17 percent.
The under-35 bloc represents 14 percent of Democratic caucusgoers, up from 9 percent in the October poll.
Huckabee wins the support of 29 percent of Iowans who say they definitely or probably will attend the Republican Party's caucuses on Jan. 3. That's a gain of 17 percentage points since the last Iowa Poll was taken in early October, when Huckabee trailed both Romney and Fred Thompson.
Other poll findings indicate that the former Arkansas governor is making the most of a low-budget campaign by tapping into the support of Iowa's social conservatives.
Romney, who has invested more time and money campaigning in the state than any other GOP candidate, remains in the thick of the Iowa race with the backing of 24 percent of likely caucusgoers. But that's a drop of 5 points since October for the former Massachusetts governor.
Former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani, the frontrunner in national polls, holds third place in Iowa at 13 percent, despite waging a limited campaign in the state.
Thompson, a former U.S. senator from Tennessee who waited until September to formally enter the race for the Republican nomination, has slipped to fourth place in the Iowa Poll, at 9 percent.
U.S. Sen. John McCain of Arizona and U.S. Rep. Ron Paul of Texas are tied for fifth place at 7 percent each. Four other candidates trail them. The new Iowa Poll, conducted over four days last week, has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.4 percentage points.
Strategists for Mitt Romney's Republican presidential campaign were actually pleased that fast-rising Mike Huckabee moved ahead of Romney in the Rasmussen poll in Iowa, eliminating surprise if Huckabee finishes first there in the Jan. 3 caucuses.
Remember John Edwards, the sunny candidate with a positive tone? Things have changed.
Edwards has moved to negative aggressive tactics that are described by some as angry and by others as effective:
"Hell yeah I'm confrontational and I'm not ashamed of it," Edwards said. "We need a fighter in the White House."
In the Democratic debates, no one punches harder, especially when the target is front-runner Hillary Clinton, who accuses Edwards of throwing mud.
"She continues to defend a system that does not work, that is broken, that is rigged, and is corrupt," Edwards said.
McClatchy Newspapers reports that Hillary's new health-care plan bears a striking resemblance to the health care plan proposed by President Richard M. Nixon:
Nixon introduced his Comprehensive Health Insurance Act on Feb. 6, 1974, days after he used what would be his final State of the Union address to call for universal access to health insurance.Maybe that's what Bill Clinton meant when he said Hillary will bring America "back to the future." Or was it the Clintons inconsistency on supporting the war?
“I shall propose a sweeping new program that will assure comprehensive health-insurance protection to millions of Americans who cannot now obtain it or afford it, with vastly improved protection against catastrophic illnesses,” he told America.
Nixon said his plan would build on existing employer-sponsored insurance plans and would provide government subsidies to the self-employed and small businesses to ensure universal access to health insurance. He said it would not create a new federal bureaucracy.
Fast-forward 33 years to the American Health Choices Plan, which Clinton outlined Sept. 17, and to similar plans by Democratic rivals Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois and former Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina.
[. . .]
Like Nixon, Clinton said that her plan “is not government-run. There will be no new bureaucracy.”
Nixon’s plan did not require all Americans to purchase health insurance, as Clinton’s does. Edwards also favors government-mandated purchases of health care. Obama would mandate only that all children be insured.
Like today’s Democrats, however, Nixon sought help for small businesses and sole proprietors to pay for insurance.
Political Wire got an advance look at a new Strategic Vision poll in Iowa that shows Sen. Hillary Clinton and Sen. Barack Obama tied in the Democratic presidential race at 29%, with John Edwards trailing at 23%.
On the Republican side it shows, Mitt Romney barely leading with 26%, followed closely by Mike Huckabee at 24%, Rudy Giuliani at 14%, Fred Thompson at 10% and Sen. John McCain at 7%.
That's quite a move on the Republican race. Strategic Vision's previous Iowa poll found Mitt with an 11 point lead:
Mitt Romney 30%
Mike Huckabee 19%
Rudy Giuliani 12%
Fred Thompson 11%
John McCain 7%
Ron Paul 5%
Tom Tancredo 2%
Duncan Hunter 1%
Undecided 13%
The Democratic race is more settled with Hillary stalled:
Hillary Clinton 29%
Barack Obama 27%
John Edwards 20%
Bill Richardson 7%
Joseph Biden 5%
Chris Dodd 1%
Dennis Kucinich 1%
Undecided 10%
Perhaps Newt's prediction wasn't such a stretch and we can see why Hillary is bracing for a loss.
Jesse Jackson complains the Democratic candidates -- with the exception of John Edwards are ignoring African Americans:
Can Democrats get the votes they need simply because they're not Republicans? You might think so in this presidential campaign.Jesse Jackson's lament may help explain why Black evangelicals find themselves torn between parties.
[. . .]
Yet the Democratic candidates -- with the exception of John Edwards, who opened his campaign in New Orleans' Ninth Ward and has made addressing poverty central to his campaign -- have virtually ignored the plight of African Americans in this country. The catastrophic crisis that engulfs the African-American community goes without mention. No urban agenda is given priority.
[. . .]
The Rev. Martin Luther King saw the movement to end segregation and gain voting rights as the first stage of the civil rights movement. The second stage -- to gain economic justice and equal opportunity in fact -- he knew would be more difficult. Now, 40 years later, it is no longer acceptable for candidates to turn a blind eye and a deaf ear to entrenched discrimination and still expect to reap our votes.
In his rhetoric and his political agenda, Jackson has much in common with other evangelical Christians who are part of the conservative wing of the Republican party, except that Jackson is African American and so is his congregation at Hope Christian Church in Prince George's County.In the 2004 election, President Bush appealed to those differences and increased his share of the black vote. He did so by questioning black voters support for Democrats at Democratic strongholds such as the Urban League's annual convention, where the President quoted Charlie Gaines:
Jackson, head of a group of socially conservative black pastors called the High Impact Leadership Coalition, in many ways personifies the possibilities that Republican strategists such as Karl Rove have seen in appealing to the social conservatism of many African American churchgoers. Blacks overwhelmingly identify themselves as Democrats and typically support Democratic candidates, but optimists in the GOP think one way to become a majority party is to peel off a sizable segment of black voters by finding common ground on social issues.
As a group, blacks attend religious services more frequently than whites and are less supportive of gay rights. In a Washington Post-Kaiser Family Foundation-Harvard University poll this summer, 43 percent of white Democrats supported same-sex marriage, about double the percentage of black Democrats who said they do. More than half of blacks said they oppose both same-sex marriage and legal recognition of same-sex civil unions.
Blacks are gagging on the donkey but not yet ready to swallow the elephant.During this campaign, Pastor Harry R. Jackson Jr. is pushing an issues agenda rather than "carrying the water for the Republican party," he said. "They are not reliable enough."
Sun-Times Columnist, Jennifer Hunter, writes that Hillary must be worried.
The latest poll from the Washington Post and ABC News finds Barack Obama ahead in Iowa.
Over the last few weeks, Hillary has increased her Iowa field staff and opened new offices.
Edwards has been campaigning in Iowa nonstop since right after the 2004 presidential race. Edwards has visited Iowa more than any other candidate, a total of 61 days. Obama started his Iowa campaign in Iowa as soon as he decided to run. He has visited Iowa 33 times.
The Iowa caucuses are more important in winning the Democratic nomination. In addition, Hillary's Democratic challengers see Iowa as their best shot to overcome Hillary's inevitability campaign.
As the Iowa causes finally get near, Hillary has hit a bumpy stretch. Her Democratic opponents are taking shots at her, hitting her where she is most vulnerable -- her reputation as too cautious and calculating. Hillary, with her double talk, provided the needed ammunition.
As a quote from the Hunter article demonstrates, the Hillary campaign is lowering expectations, preparing for a possible loss in Iowa:
"Our definition of success doesn't necessarily mean coming in first," explains Clinton spokesman Mark Daley. "As long as we have a strong showing on caucus night."
A new ABC New/Washington Post poll in Iowa finds Barack Obama ahead of Hillary. Obama is supported by 30% of likely Iowa voters compared to 26% for Hillary and 22% for John Edwards:
The results are only marginally different from a Post-ABC poll in late July, but in a state likely to set the tone for the rest of the nominating process, there are significant signs of progress for Obama -- and harbingers of concern for Clinton.The poll also found Hillary vulnerable on questions of character:
The factors that have made Clinton the clear national front-runner -- including her overwhelming leads on the issues of the Iraq war and health care, a widespread sense that she is the Democrats' most electable candidate, and her strong support among women -- do not appear to be translating on the ground in Iowa, where campaigning is already fierce and television ads have been running for months.
At the heart of the Democratic race has been the dichotomy between strength and experience (qualities emphasized by Clinton, Richardson, and Sens. Joseph R. Biden Jr. of Delaware and Christopher J. Dodd of Connecticut in their appeals) and the ability to introduce a new approach to governing (as Obama and Edwards have promised to do).
Iowa Democrats are tilting toward change, and Obama appears to be benefiting from it.
Fifty-five percent of those surveyed reported that a "new direction and new ideas" are their top priority, compared with 33 percent who favored "strength and experience." That is a shift from July, when 49 percent sought change and 39 percent experience.
Thirty-one percent found Obama to be the most honest and trustworthy, about double the percentage who said the same of Clinton. While about three-quarters credited both Obama and Edwards with speaking their mind on issues, only 50 percent said Clinton is willing enough to say what she really thinks. Forty-five percent said she is not sufficiently candid.Iraq and health care dominate as the campaign's top issues.
John Edwards takes on Hillary's "Politics of "Planting:"
His campaign today announced it has created a website that jabs his fellow Democrat's campaign for admitting that it planted a question at an Iowa event with a college student.
With tongue firmly in cheek, Edwards' camp calls PlantsforHillary.com an one-stop shop: "Potential plants can listen to testimonials from past plants, read the 'Top 10 Questions Plants Should Never Ask Hillary,' learn how to recognize other plants at Senator Clinton's events, submit suggestions for planted questions, and purchase the soon to be released 'Questions are hard...so plant them' T-shirt."
Gallo-Chasanoff, whose story was first reported in the campus newspaper, said what happened was simple: She said a senior Clinton staffer asked if she'd like to ask the senator a question after an energy speech the Democratic presidential hopeful gave in Newton, Iowa, on November 6.The student who asked the question told CNN "voters have the right to know what happened" and she wasn't the only one who was planted.
"I sort of thought about it, and I said 'Yeah, can I ask how her energy plan compares to the other candidates' energy plans?'" Gallo-Chasanoff said Monday night.
According to Gallo-Chasanoff, the staffer said, "I don't think that's a good idea, because I don't know how familiar she is with their plans."
He then opened a binder to a page that, according to Gallo-Chasanoff, had about eight questions on it.
"The top one was planned specifically for a college student," she added. "It said 'college student' in brackets and then the question."
Topping that sheet of paper was the following: "As a young person, I'm worried about the long-term effects of global warming. How does your plan combat climate change?"
Last spring, an Iowa Democrat, Geoffrey Mitchell, said that a different Clinton aide encouraged him to ask Mrs. Clinton about Iraq policy during a campaign event, according to a news account at the time and a report Saturday on Fox News.Mr. Miller told ABCNews about that incident:
Geoff Mitchell, a minister who recently moved to Hamilton, Ill., from Iowa, told ABC News that he was approached this spring by Clinton's Iowa political director Chris Haylor to ask Clinton a question about war funding.Planting questions is dishonest and inexcusable. This despicable conduct just reinforces the perception that Hillary's campaign is manipulative and schemes to bend the rules in order maintain her lead in the polls. It's also more evidence of Hillary's hypocrisy. Last month, Hillary attacked someone at a town hall for asking a question that she alleged was planted. Watch the video.
Mitchell, 32, said that the request "did not sit well with me in the tradition of the Iowa caucus."
"I grew up in Iowa and I value the tradition of the caucuses of answering the questions of the people," Mitchell said.
Mitchell said he introduced himself to Haylor because he had heard of him before and knew that he had worked on Indiana Sen. Evan Bayh's campaign.
Before the campaign event, Haylor asked Mitchell if he would pose a specific question about Iraq. The question was about how Clinton would be tough on President Bush about funding the Iraq war, Mitchell said.
Last night Obama hosted Saturday Night Live. The opening skit was a Halloween Party hosted by Bill and Hillary Clinton:
Obama also took both Clintons to task on the campaign trail:
Campaigning in South Carolina earlier, Obama accused Hillary Clinton of giving voters “vague, calculated answers to suit the politics of the moment instead of clear, consistent principles about how you would lead America.” And he subtly swiped at former President Bill Clinton by listing problems that “existed long before George Bush took office.”You can watch videos of Hillary's vague and calculated answers here and here.
The Edwards campaign takes Hillary's to task over her devious and insincere refusals to give straight answers during the Democratic debate at Drexel University.
It was such double talk that caused me to declare her the loser of the debate. Hillary isn't nearly slick enough at such obfuscation to even aspire to succeed to Bill Clinton as Slick Willy.
Thanks to Stop Her Now for the tip.
The Edwards campaign takes Hillary's to task over her devious and insincere refusals to give straight answers during the Democratic debate at Drexel University.
It was such double talk that caused me to declare her the loser of the debate. Hillary isn't nearly slick enough at such obfuscation to even aspire to succeed to Bill Clinton as Slick Willy.
Thanks to Stop Her Now for the tip.
Senator Barack Obama outperformed six other Democratic presidential wannabes at last night's debate at Drexel University in Philadelphia.
An unscientific OpenVote poll found Drexel students selected Obama as the debate winner:
Currently, with over 600 votes cast, Obama has sustained the lead with 46 percent.I didn't see it quite that way. I thought Hillary took a lot of damage from Dodd, Edwards and Obama. I think Edwards came out on top.
Earlier, when Clinton was asked whether she had made one statement on Social Security publicly and a conflicting answer privately, she ducked the question, saying she believed in “fiscal responsibility.”She came across as devious, insincere and waffling on access to records about her activities while First Lady. Hillary similarly refused to give a straight answer regarding New York Governor Eliott Spitzer's very unpopular plan to issue drivers licenses to illegal aliens.
Barack Obama and John Edwards join three other Democratic presidential wannabees in pledging to boycott states that break party rules by holding early primaries
In signing the pledge, the five candidates promise not to campaign in states holding rouge primaries:
I shall not campaign or participate in any state which schedules a presidential election primary or caucus before Feb. 5, 2008, except for the states of Iowa, Nevada, New Hampshire and South Carolina, as "campaigning" is defined by the rules and regulations of the DNC. It does not include activities specifically related to raising campaign resources such as fundraising events or the hiring of fundraising staff.
A pact to ignore tens of millions of diverse Americans by a selfish, four-state alliance of party insiders.That's the reaction of Florida Democratic Party chairwoman, Karen Thurman.
A new UPI/Zogby poll finds a majority of Americans - 54% - believe the United States has not lost the war in Iraq.
As usual there is a huge partisan divide on this question:
While two in three Democrats (66%) said the war effort has already failed, just 9% of Republicans say the same.This Democratic defeatism echoes that of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, who said in April that he believed that "this war is lost and that the surge is not accomplishing anything."
