December 21, 2006

12/21: Battle Fatigue?

Since 11/7, there has been a marked divergence in right and left blog focus when it comes to '08. While plenty of pro and con Dem WH '08 posts can be found on lefty blogs, there has also been a noticeable and public effort to refrain from attacking the candidates. Instead, '08 concern has been concentrated on identifying which down ballot races the netroots want to be a factor in. The right side of the sphere is completely different. One can't glance at RedState with out reading some hit piece on a GOP WH '08 candidate. Meanwhile, there is nary a mention of which down ballot races the righties want to target. We speculate that having been around the block once, the netroots grey tooths don't want to relive the nasty fights they had in '04, while for the righty 'sphere this is their maiden contested primary.

IRAQ: It's Not ... Good

Pres. Bush did not get rave reviews from conservatives watching his 12/20 WH presser. The Corner's John Podhoretz wrote: "If You're At Work...be glad you're not at home watching the president's press conference. It's...not good." Kathryn Jean Lopez added: "It has the feel of Rocky V (Why did you bother?)."

In other Iraq news, TPMmuckraker, nailed down Dem leadership positions on Bush's "surge" for Iraq: "The Democrats' top leadership in the House and Senate are united against." Also at Talking Points Memo, Josh Marshall notes Brookings Institute's "key role in building support for the Iraq War" and blegs readers for info on inner Brookings "controversy" over Fred Kagan's inclusion in an upcoming Brookings policy briefing.

GOP FIELD: What About Rudy?

Pollster.com's Charles Franklin has his first post on WH '08 up, with data on every person in the GOP field. Franklin identifies one notable result: "Former New York City Mayor Rudolf Giuliani continues to hold a small but reliable lead over Arizona Senator John McCain. Of 39 polls with both names in the list of candidates, Giuliani leads McCain in 30 with four more ties. McCain leads in only 5 polls. ... That doesn't seem to me to be the message I've been getting from the media."

RedState's Dan McLaughlin isn't happy with MSM coverage of the race either, and is particularly displeased with National Review's cover story narrowed the field "to two men: John McCain and Mitt Romney." McLaughlin argues that Romney wants the race to be framed as a two man contest and offers three more specific complaints:

• First, the article gives only short shrift to Rudy Giuliani, despite polling that consistently shows the former NY mayor leading the field or running about even with Senator McCain.
• Second, NR seems to be abandoning the possibility - which you would think a conservative magazine would at least entertain - that a conservative champion could yet emerge from the field.
• More disturbing is the idea that NR has accepted Romney's effort to portray himself as the authentic conservative in the race. ... But any realistic assessment of Romney has to begin in the same place as McCain and Giuliani - that is, with the fact that his past public statements make him out to be something other than a consistent conservative.

BROWNBACK: Tancredo, Go Home

An admitted "ardent Brownback supporter" RedState's Leon Wolf defends Sam Brownback's immigration record writing: "Sam Brownback is not a Tancredoite (or even nearly a Tancredoite) when it comes to immigration, and I'm not trying to claim that he is. However, the characterization of Brownback as someone who is "bad on immigration" is simply unfair, at least insofar as "bad on immigration" is not defined as any deviation from Tom Tancredo's platform."

GILMORE: Not A Pretend Conservative

While IA's Caucus Cooler may have been leading the Jim Gilmore-may-run coverage, eyeon08's Gilmore quote from the New York Times is the most widely included item on rigthy blogs: "I didn't run some place and pretend I was a liberal and run someplace else as a conservative. I just didn't do that." Other reax include:

• Townhall's Mary Katharine Ham: "Gilmore was before my time in Virginia, but from all I hear of him, he's a real conservative."
• Outside the Beltway's James Joyner: "While John McCain and Mitt Romney are both trying to position themselves as the main conservative candidate in the race, both face obstacles. ... He may not be well known to the public but he's well known to the party apparatus from which he must put together a team and do his initial fundraising. He's definitely a longshot, though, and isn't the most charismatic guy in the world.
• IA's Caucus Cooler: "For crying out loud somebody's got to get the Gary Bauer vote."

GIULIANI: You've Gotta Make It Here, Before You Can Make It Anywhere

RedState's California Yankee reports Rudy Giuliani's 12/18 $2,100-a-ticket Manhattan cocktail party "disappoint[ed]" since it fell short of the 500 tickets needed to raise $1 mil. according to attendees. CY adds: "Fellow presidential wannabe, John McCain, upstaged Giuliani's fundraising event by announcing a 57-member New York finance committee that includes Jets owner Woody Johnson; billionaire financier Henry Kravis; and Henry Kissinger."

The Corner's Jonathan Martin posts backstory to ex-Rep. Rick Lazio's non-endorsement of Giuliani: "People need to remember that Rick wanted to run for the Senate in 2000, but Rudy was toying with the idea and was effectively freezing everyone else out. ... While it was understandable that he would, at that point, not run for the Senate, a lot of people were upset that Rudy had strung the GOP along and left the party in a bad spot. ... Given all of the hurdles he faced and given that Bush lost NY to Gore by about 2.5 million votes and Rick lost by about half that many votes to HRC, I think people should recognize that Lazio ran a commendable race under tough circumstances. That being said, I think Lazio might still be angry with Rudy's behavior in early 2000.

Subbing for Andrew Sullivan, Alex Massie uses urges primary voters to evaluate the GOP field using a college football like "resume approach" as opposed to "power ranking" system. Massie thinks Giuliani has the best GOP resume: "The Mayor of New York must grapple - nay, fight! - a bewilderingly complex and byzantine bureaucracy plagued by turf wars, vested interests and a bloody-minded determination to thwart change or reform. Hmmm, isn't there a similar, but even larger and more powerful Hydra in Washington?"

ROMNEY: What The Right Angle Wants, The Right Angle Gets

A little over a week after The Right Angle's Matt Lewis advised Team Romney to hire a blogger, The Right Angle announced Romney hired Sen. Bill Frist (R-TN) aide Stephen Smith "to lead his online communications team."

Instapundit applauds the move: "I've dealt with Smith a fair amount in conjunction with Frist's appearances on The Glenn & Helen Show, etc., and found him smart and easy to work with. It's a good hire for the Romney campaign."

Smith will have his work cut out for him as plenty of anti-Romney posts are still floating around the righty 'sphere including Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) aide Patrick Hynes noting Romney's 1994 refusal to endorse ex-Speaker Newt Gingrich's Contract with America at Ankle Biting Pundits and RedState's Leon Wolf's impatience for a Romney explanation of his "absolute about face on abortion."

OBAMA: An Opportunity For Courage

Kausfiles cops to being "an old-fashioned Joe Kleinish Clintonian self-hating Dem" that is not going to swoon over Barack Obama until he hears "Obama tell Democrats something they maybe don't want to hear." So far all Kaus has heard from Obama is an "idiosyncratic veneer of reasonableness over a policy that is utterly party line and conventional, defended with arguments that are party line and conventional."

TPM Cafe's M.J. Rosenberg has a similar wish and a specific policy in mind: Israel. Rosenberg writes: "In his latest column in New York Observer, the fine author and columnist, Phil Weiss, raises the possibility that Obama is no different than the other mainstream Democrats in not questioning whether our current policies are good for America or Israel. ... Obama is just too smart and too honest to embrace the deadly status quo. Weiss also points out that the latest stirrings in the American Jewish community make it possible for candidates not to adopt the failed policies of the past. Staking out some new territory here will make Obama look like the leader I think he is. Eleanor Roosevelt mocked JFK in 1960 for showing too much profile and not enough courage. I want Obama to show us both."

LANDSCAPE: Just The Beginning

MyDD's ManfromMiddletown was concerned Charlie Cook's Partisan Voting Index was underestimating Dem voting strength so he designed his measure for OH using '06 results from "the Auditor, Secretary of State, and Treasurer's races." The result: "Overall, this measure shows Ohio to be far more Democratic than Presidential vote and the Cook PVI ,as a result, indicates."

Charlie Cook repsonds in the comments: "We invented the Partisan Voting Index in order to have a single-objective measurement of how a district votes in presidential elections compared to the rest of the country. One single number to look at, based on the average two-party vote in the last two presidential elections. It is the start of our analytical process, not the middle and certainly not the end.

CA 10: A Real Problem For Dems

Although Rep. Ellen Tauscher (D-CA) is not affiliated with Third Way, MyDD 's Matt Stoller, says "people like Tauscher" "empower[] Third Way style policy people." Stoller calls Tauscher "a real problem for Democrats" and says she "should face a serious challenge."

DEM CONVO: A Springboard For Labor?

DailyKos' founder Markos Moulitsas is troubled the state of negotiations between the DNC and Denver, CO: "Negotiations are ongoing with Labor, which doesn't like Denver because of its lack of unionized facilities. Instead of sabotaging Democratic chances in 2008, perhaps Labor could use the convention as a springboard effort to kickstart unionization efforts in Denver?"

CO SEN: If Only The Buffaloes Could Get Into The Top Three

Kos notes Coloradoan reports that Rep. Mark Udall (D) may challenge Sen. Wayne Allard (R) and writes: "Rumor? It's no rumor. Udall is in, and whether Allard stays in or not, this will be a top-three race in 2008."

ME SEN: Shootin' The Moon

Daily Kos diarist RandyMI picks up on Hotline On Call reports that Rep. Tom Allen (D-01) has retained Rep. Mike Michaud (D-02) manager Heather Quinn "should Allen decide to run for SEN." RandyMI adds: "Collins has to be spooked at this point. She knows that she is not nearly as popular as Olympia Snowe and, if she runs, she has to explain away her pledge to serve only two terms." Kos adds: "You just know Schumer is promising Allen the sun and the moon if the runs."

QUESTION OF THE DAY: The Enemy Of My Enemy ...

The Washington Monthly's Kevin Drum asks: "True or false: Persistent exposure to zealous lefty ideologues causes centrists to sympathize more strongly with conservatism than they normally would. Conversely, persistent exposure to zealous righty ideologues causes centrists to sympathize more with liberalism. Follow-up question: If this is true, what lesson should we draw from it?"

LEST WE FORGET: Only Four Shopping Days Left

Extreme Mortman is "not making this up" when he links to the Drug Enforcement Administration Gift Shop's description of lovable plush DEA German Shepards: "This little, 6 inch length, "Beanie" plush German Shepherd, is the ideal "Best Friend", for all ages. Choose either a gold collar w/ DEA in black, or black w/ DEA in white letters." Mortman quips: "No word whether this stuffed animal is trained to sniff other stuffed animals."

Posted by Conn Carroll at 12:03 PM

December 20, 2006

12/20: Why HuffPo?

What do incoming the following Dems have in common: Senate Maj. Leader Harry Reid (NV), Reps. Jane Harman (CA), Ellen Tauscher (CA), John Murtha (PA), Dennis Kucinich (OH), and Major Owens (NY) all have in common? They all used The Huffington Post as their blogging venue of choice to engage the lefty blogosphere. Now a quick perusal of the list demonstrates that simply showing up at HuffPo in no way guarantees a softening of netroots antagonism for an elected Dem, and Murtha's hero status does not stem from his blogging either. So why has Arianna's wildly successful blogging venture developed into a favorite Dem blogging outlet?

GOP FIELD: Bushless

Building off an APstory quoting a Columbia, SC, pastor describing state religous conservatives as "really up for grabs," The Corner's Jonathan Martin rehashes his own earlier analysis on SC without ex-SC Gov. Carroll Campbell (R):

Without Campbell, there is no unified political operation ready to get behind a favored Republican. John McCain can't be taken out if there is a) no George W. Bush to do the taking out and b) no ready apparatus to crush the insurgency. Whether there will be one of the former - a consensus establishment candidate with backing from both the country club donor wing and evangelical activist wing of the party - is an open question. But nothing resembling the latter exists today within the South Carolina Republican party, say observers there.

Marin updates: "Now "a)" increasingly appears to be MA Gov. Mitt Romney. Nobody else, besides McCain, is right now working the money guys and grassroots down there like Team Mitt. But, as evidenced by the presence of at least two deep-pocketed South Carolinians in attendance tonight at former NYC Mayor Rudy Giuliani's kick-off shindig and the lingering unease in social conservative ranks about their options, McCain still benefits from there being no singular Bush figure in the race."

BROWNBACK: We Think They Meant 'She'

Not all righty bloggers are critical of Sam Brownback's hold on MI state judge Janet Neff. The MI Cooler writes: "Urge Brownback to Keep up the Fight! Brownback has done a great job for conservatives by holding up liberal Judge Neff from the Federal bench. Please email Brownback at info@brownback.com and urge him to continue to hold up the Neff nomination. He officiated a gay marriage in Massachusetts."

GIULIANI: Everybody Loves Rudy

Real Clear PoliticsTom Bevan argues the conventional wisdom displayed in a 12/19 WaPo article on potential problems Rudy Giuliani might face with conservative primary voters "may turn out to be wrong." Bevan reasons: "even if you set aside the obvious baggage Giuliani carries on social issues and with respect to his personal life, the Mayor takes all the same positions as [John] McCain on those key issues which McCain is constantly vilified by the conservative base. For example, Rudy is very much in favor of comprehensive immigration reform, and he publicly supported McCain-Feingold in 2000 when he was flirting with a Senate run against Hillary."

Bevan then explains why conservative voters are willing to overlook Giuliani's ideological shortcomings: "The answer to that question may turn out to be as simple as this: Rudy is just more likeable. Likeability with base voters is important, and intangible. McCain doesn't have it. Rudy does."

IA's Krusty Konservative posts the text of an email sent by Team Giuliani marking the launch of JoinRudy2008 including: "As part of the website's launch, we are trying to reach out to friends online and across the "blogosphere." It is important to us that the web community knows that we intend to be an active and contributing presence to the intellectual debate and discussion that occurs on the web. As an indication of our seriousness in this effort, we thought we'd tell you about the new site ahead of time (no hat tip required, although certainly appreciated). In the coming weeks and months, we will continue to reach out to you and appreciate any advice and ideas you have to offer."

The Right Angle's Robert Bluey compares: "In sharp contrast to Sen. John McCain's chic black-and-white website, former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani went live today with a colorful, information-packed site for his exploratory committee ... While McCain opted to minimize the content available on his site, ExploreMcCain.com, Giuliani isn't holding back. He providers readers with a detailed biography -- broken down by the "Early Years," "The Crime Fighter," "Mayor of New York" and "Business Leader."

KEATING: Singing In The Rainey

The Corner's Jonathan Martin reports SC developer/Bush Pioneer John Rainey is hosting a lunch 12/21 for ex-OK Gov. Frank Keating. Martin expounds: "Rainey is one of the most politically powerful money men in the state and serves (or has served) on a number of top boards and commissions. He is being heavily wooed by other Republican candidates and would certainly be a signigicant 'get' for a candidate just out of the box like Keating."

MCCAIN: 'Cause Breaking Up Is Hard To Do

RedState's Streiff is taking Richard Cohen's 12/19 op-ed as a sure sign the "Romance" is over between John McCain and the MSM. Streiff writes: "So long as Senator McCain was dissing the Republican base, making life difficult for the administration, and giving great interview he was "maverick John McCain" and a hero to all. Now that McCain looks like he's within a red-faced meltdown of the Republican nomination for president in 2008 all that is changing."

The Right Angle's Matt Lewis argues this development can only help McCain in the GOP primary: "McCain has learned the lessons of 2000. This time around, he knows that he must do two important things: 1. Appeal more to conservatives, and 2. Woo Bush donors and operatives. ... Once again, John McCain proves to be a master at manipulating the media. By criticizing him, they are playing into his hands."

Back at The Corner Martin credits Team McCain for their quick courting of Palmetto Family Council official Oran Smith after Smith publicly expressed doubts about MA Gov. Mitt Romney (R).

ROMNEY: Send In The Clowns

Following the Boston Globe's lead RedState 's Mark Kilmer calls Mitt Romney a "clown" for his response to the Globe's revelations that Romney "hire[d] illegal lawn mowers." Kilmer explains he hasn't "seen the specifics" of Romney's immigration policy but does add: "I can't comment on the logistics, but it seems that Romney blames the lack of federal regulation and red tape for his illegal hirings, The solution he proposes seems to be the registration of all legally employed people in this country. (Perhaps with numbers tattooed to their ankles?) Quite a database."

GORE: And The Winner Is ...

The Huffington Post's Bob Cesca awards Al Gore his "Voice of Reality" award for Gore's elevation of global warming "to a position close -- close -- to where it should be on our collective national roster of vital issues." Past winners include Richard Clarke in '04 and Keith Olbermann in '05.

OBAMA: Add Bobby Kennedy To The List Of Obama Comparisons

The Plank's Eve Fairbanks posts video of Draft Obama's first tv ad running in DC and NH now and possibly in HI while Barack Obama is there for Christmas.

Fairbanks critiques: "I don't think this is a great spot from a technical point of view -- the text is distracting, the photo montages retro, and the whole thing smacks of a weirdly un-American hero worship -- but, at the same time, it's hard to see how others can compete with the audio, taken from Obama's famous '04 Democratic Convention speech. ... For better or worse, Obama channels Bobby Kennedy."

RICHARDSON: Movin' On Up

MyDD's Jonathan Singer sings the praises of Bill Richardson under the header, "Richardson Staking Out Position as Candidate with Foreign Policy Cred." Singer explains that Richardson is not "limiting his campaign to his domestic and political successes as Governor" but is also setting "himself apart from other candidates by stressing his views on foreign policy, highlighting his service as UN Ambassador." Singer concludes: "With these moves, Richardson can help position himself as a candidate with a firm grasp of both foreign and domestic policy and perhaps move up from a lower tier to a higher one."

DCCC: Holla' If You Love Van Hollen

The big boys of the netroots are universally pleased with the selection of Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) to head the DCCC. DailyKos' founder Markos Moulitsas calls it "an excellent pick," but also adds: "Welcoming message to Chris: "Stay the heck out of contested primaries." Other lefty reax include:

• MyDD's Chris Bowers: "I have done some real quick background, and the most interesting bit I have found is that while, like Rahm [Emanuel], he came in 2002, he was significantly outspent in his contested Democratic primary by Mark Kennedy Shriver ... That is a good sign for the way Van Hollen will act during primary campaigns. ... We seem to be moving forward quite well. I can't imagine Van Hollen upsetting netroots activists the same way as Rahm.
• Firedoglake's Pachacutec: "Unlike Emanuel, Van Hollen did not get his start as a machine politician opposed to a grassroots progressive through a campaign marred by criminal corruption. Van Hollen was, in fact, the local progressive who beat out a better known and better financed Democrat in a 2002 primary. We look forward to the possibility of communicating and collaborating with the DCCC under Mr. Van Hollen for the next campaign cycle."
• Blue America's Howie Klein: "I'm very excited about this. ... I don't know a lot about Van Hollen but he's got to be a lot better than Emanuel. I'd love to see the DCCC, the grassroots and the netroots working together for a common purpose: electing more Democrats to the House (rather than furthering the personal careers of a couple of power-mongers).

In a not-unrelated MyDD item, Democraticavenger has a list of the "50 most likely Republican Seats to flip to Democratic." The top 10 include: 1. Tim Walberg (MI 07), 2. Charlie Dent (PA 15), 3. Jon Porter (NV 03), 4. Ric Keller (FL 08), 5. Dave Reichert (WA 08), 6. Marilyn Musgrave (CO 04), 7. Rick Renzi (AZ 01), 8. John Doolittle (CA 04), 9. Mike Ferguson (NJ 07), 10. Robin Hayes (NC 08).

IRAQ: Surge Protector

Incoming Senate Maj. Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) took to The Huffington Post 12/19 assuring the blogosphere he doesn't "believe that more troops is the answer for Iraq." Reid then outlines his position on the war:

• 1. I believe we should start redeploying troops in 4 to 6 months (The Levin-Reed Plan) and complete the withdrawal of combat forces by the first quarter of 2008. (As laid out by the Iraq Study Group)
• 2. The President must understand that there can only be a political solution in Iraq, and he must end our nation's open-ended military commitment to that country.
• 3. These priorities need to be coupled with a renewed diplomatic effort and regional strategy.

MyDD's Chris Bowers responds: "It was ridiculous in the first place to think that Reid supported troop escalation in Iraq, considering that he voted for a timeline thirteen months ago. Even if it wasn't ridiculous, we shouldn't have been parsing his words. Rather,we should have been focusing on his proposed oversight measures and legislative policy proposals, and critiquing those."

Atrios agrees: "More seriously, I think something we all need to come to terms with is the fact that the Democrats actually have power now. ... Messaging is still important, and they still shouldn't screw it up. But it isn't the only power they have now, and it isn't the most important power they have. So, yes, they should speak smarter when they go on the Sunday shows. But the sky isn't falling when they don't."

IRAQ II: They Need A Plan For Their Plan

The Washington Monthly's Kevin Drum puts the Blogometer ashame ably synthesizing the state of Iraq opinion at TAPPED:

• Ackerman: If Democrats press too hard on withdrawal from Iraq, the end result will probably be a rerun of the Vietnam myth: we could have won in Iraq, but feckless liberals snatched defeat from the jaws of victory and precipitated a national humiliation. "Over the next fifteen years, this becomes accepted wisdom. A younger generation of liberals, tired of being bludgeoned with the charge, more or less accepts it themselves. Another Republican gets elected, and sets to work combating Iraq Fatigue. We get another war."
• Farley: Word. Things might turn out a little better this time since Iraq is a purely Republican war, but maybe not. After all, "Millions of moderate to conservative Americans who had come to support a withdrawal from Vietnam by 1972 found it very easy to convince themselves, by 1980, that the war had been a noble struggle undermined by the malfeasance of counter-culture activists and Congressional Democrats."
• Lemieux: Bollocks. "The problem is, the blame-the-war's-opponents narrative will be trotted out and may hold no matter what the Democrats do." Besides, Congress isn't going to defund the war anyway, so this is all just a round of wankerism.

Drum concludes with his own thoughts: "The question here isn't so much about withdrawal, which I believe Ackerman, Farley, and Lemieux all support, but about how to handle withdrawal politically in order to minimize damage to the Democratic Party. My read is that Ackerman says we should be concerned about this, Farley agrees but thinks there are ways to handle it, and Lemieux says it doesn't matter because Republicans are going to smear us no matter what we do. It's on this issue that I'm in a quandary."

BLOGGERS VS. THE BOTTOM LINE: Fly Like An Eagle

RedState's Directors informed readers 12/20 that they had been purchased by Eagle Publishing, Inc., the owners of Human Events, Regnery Publishing, and the Conservative Book Club. RedState assures readers: "While RedState will continue to take steps to improve the site, there are no plans for significant changes. RedState will remain a unique property within the Eagle family. ... Erick Erickson will continue to be the Editor of the site, and all the writers you've come to appreciate will still be here.

THOUGHT OF THE DAY: No Crackpots Here

The Corner's Mark Krikorian offers evidence to show "immigration hawks" aren't exaggerating about "supporters of amnesty" really wanting "open borders." Krikorian links to an Wall Street Journal op-ed by UC Davis Law School Dean Kevin Johnson and quotes from the piece: "The borders of the United States should be open with no numerical limits on the number of immigrants who can enter the country in any given year." Krikorian adds:

Note that this guy, leftist though he is, is not some fringy crackpot - he's a dean at the UC Davis law school, one of the top immigration law professors in the country, and a board member of MALDEF. In fact, his op-ed is an example of how the open-borders crowd has gotten bolder - i.e., more candid - as the Bush-Kennedy-McCain amnesty/guestworker approach has gained ground; Johnson submitted a brief essay for a paper I published a few years back on various writers' ideal immigration policies, and it was much more circumspect than this new piece.

More evidence? The nation's top Hispanic groups called yesterday for a halt to immigration enforcement until Congress has a chance to send an amnesty bill for President Bush's signature.

LEST WE FORGET: The Miserable Wretch That Is The Blogometer

Deadspin points us to Every Day Should Be Saturday's fabulous rundown of the season's first bowl game including:

• Name: The San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl
• Motto: "You'll watch it because it's on, you miserable wretches."
• Location: San Diego, the city that discarded it's old motto "America's Finest City" in a shame spiral it had after a long night of drinking. Famous for being damn near perfect in every way but not at all smug about it like those eco-friendly, coffee-drinking, holier-than-thou-vegan a--holes in San Francisco and Seattle.
• What to watch for: A methodical TCU attack hogs the ball, scores on long, heart-rending drives. A gimpy Wolfe has run his legs dead after a 1,900 yard season, and goes nowhere against TCU's superbly coached defense. NIU's backup Dan Nicholson earns a miserable postgame bender by getting sacked a few times, throwing a few picks, and trying to hurl the Huskies back into the game singlehandedly in what could be an excruciating third quarter to watch.

EDSBS concludes: "Which you will, you desperate sick person, you, since it's been sixteen days or so since football-related content last lashed your eyeballs. Damn you, sweet Poinsettia Bowl!!! Your poisonous leaves still taste sweet to our starved tongue! This might actually reveal the sick logic behind the name, after all: it's bad, it'll make you sick (allegedly!), but when starving you'll down it like Doritos.

Posted by Conn Carroll at 12:23 PM

December 19, 2006

12/19: Bloggers And The GOP

While the Blogometer has been taken to task before for suggesting that righty blogs are not as socially conservative as the larger GOP base, others have noticed similar patterns. Recent GOP WH '08 blogging again suggests the pattern may be true. While National Review Online's Byron York documents MA Gov. Mitt Romney's (R) troubles with social conservatives in SC, Power Line's Paul Mirengoff offers a limited defense of Romney's positions on gay marriage, stem cells, and abortion rights and goes on to announce he's still leaning toward Romney.

More interesting though is this passage from righty blogger stalwart Captain's Quarters castigating Sen. Sam Brownback (R-KS) for blocking a judicial nominee for attending a civil union ceremony: "A union ceremony breaks no laws and infringes on no one's rights. It involves two people celebrating their relationship without demanding any recognition from the government or special rights as a result. ... The government does not belong in the bedroom, and the Senate has no business extracting pledges of recusals from judicial nominees for any reason." How representative are these sentiments of wider GOP primary voter opinion?

BROWNBACK: Get Out Of My House

Captain's Quarters describes news of Brownback's drop of a hold on the judicial nomination of MI state judge Janet Neff an "Early Setback For Brownback." CQ describes Brownback's hold on Neff for her attendance at a same-sex union ceremony as "unprecedented" and "ridiculous." CQ adds: "Neff's attendance at a private function on her own time has no bearing on her fitness to the bench. A union ceremony breaks no laws and infringes on no one's rights. It involves two people celebrating their relationship without demanding any recognition from the government or special rights as a result. The two women invited family and friends to attend, and Neff decided to support her friend and help her celebrate a ceremony that would have taken place regardless. ... The government does not belong in the bedroom, and the Senate has no business extracting pledges of recusals from judicial nominees for any reason. If Brownback doesn't understand these two concepts, then he has no business anywhere near the White House.

HUCKABEE: Tic Toc

IA's Caucus Cooler runs through the GOP field, writing: "Rudy and McCain have clear issues with certain sects of the GOP base. Romney has been engaged in a 2-week flap over flip-flops on social issues. Brownback is liberal on immigration and can't raise the money." CC then hits Huckabee for failing to "take advantage" of the opening: "By the time they get off the pot, it will probably be too late to do anything except finish 3rd or 4th in Iowa and fizzle in New Hampshire."

HUNTER: Pat Buchanan Lite?

Outgoing Armed Services Chair Duncan Hunter (R-CA) experienced a mini-blog-bloomlet 12/18. Right Wing News, IA's Krusty Konservative, and NH's GraniteGrok all had kind words for Hunter including:

• Krusty Konservative: "From what I've read Duncan Hunter is a solid conservative candidate. ... I like Congressman Hunter but I don't know if he is the credible conservative candidate I'm looking for. While the Iowa Caucus is all about retail politics, I wonder how Hunter will motivate caucus goers to support him."
• GraniteGrok: "He opposes partial birth abortion. Favors school vouchers. Favors drilling in ANWR. He regularly votes to de-fund the National Endowment for the Arts. He is pro-military (his son just finished his second tour in Iraq as a Marine). ... For this conservative blogger, when I look at the positions taken by Mr. Hunter, I find myself in almost full agreement."

Right Wing News posts video of an ad "running in South Carolina" that RWN found underwhelming: "It's about "fair trade", which, along with national security and illegal immigration is one of Hunter's three big issues, but is that really the issue to start a campaign on? ... most conservatives are free traders and I'm not sure that this message is going to necessarily appeal to them. Personally, I think Hunter have been better off doing a commercial bragging about his role in getting the wall through the House. That would have also set him apart from a lot of the other contenders and there would have been a larger, more receptive audience for what he had to say."

MCCAIN: They Don't Like You, They Really, Really Don't Like You

RedState's Erick Erickson reminds readers that RedState "will not be offering an endorsement for any Presidential candidate for the foreseeable future, if ever." But he goes on to be blunt: "Consider me in the anybody but McCain camp." Erickson acknowledges McCain is right on spending, North Korea, Iraq, and abortion rights, but also pronounces him "wrong on the fundamentals." Erickson explains: "All John McCain needs is a CNN camera crew and he stands ready to shove conservatives under the bus if he's guaranteed prime time and Anderson Cooper crying tears of joy while Chris Matthews stands by blowing kisses. ... John McCain is not my choice because he seeks to regulate first and ask questions later."

Beltway Blogroll rounds up left and right reaction to McCain's introduction of a bill seeking to curtail child pornography writing: "But one means to that end -- punishing Internet sites that fail to report pornographic content on their servers -- does not sit well with bloggers who, thanks to an article in News.com, see McCain's bill as an attack against them."

Instapundit links to Beltway and adds: " I think that John McCain realizes that bloggers are unhappy with him over McCain-Feingold -- he said as much in our podcast interview -- but I don't think he grasps just how unhappy, or how much this hurts him. I suspect that (at least some of) his staff does, though. But what can he do about it?"

ROMNEY: Much Ado About Something

Reacting to Byron York's article on the damage recent reports of 1994 Romney statements that were "pro-choice, in favor of expansive gay rights, and dismissive of Ronald Reagan" Power Line's Paul Mirengoff writes: "The gay stuff strikes me as much ado about very little. As I've said, I don't perceive a big gap between what Romney said 12 years ago and what he's saying now. And the fact that Romney ran twice for state-wide office in Massachusetts without ever saying he favored gay marriage tells me that he's a solid social conservative on this issue."

The abortion and stem-cell issues are more of a problem for Mirengoff: "By his own admission, Romney has dramatically changed his position. ... Romney's conversion took place in 2004, by which time he must have been thinking about running for presidency. Moreover, in the case of stem cells he converted to the position that I don't favor." These differences, however, are "not deal-breakers" for Mirengoff and he says he still "leans towards Romney" over Giuliani and McCain. Mirengoff does acknowledge that room is opening for a fourth major candidate though.

Still in defense mode over Romney and gay marriage: The Corner's Kathryn Jean Lopez celebrates Romney's 12/18 quote, "I don't think there's any conflict between feeling that all people deserve respect and tolerance and that discrimination is wrong and a belief that marriage is between a man and a woman," and adds: "Romney would do us all a service if he could get us to a point where a statement like that ... does not make news because it is a given. To take us to a place where those who support protecting traditional marriage are not easily and routinely dismissed in polite society as homophobic would be a great milestone for civil society."

Also at The Corner, Jonathan Martin looks at Romney efforts to circumvent "Old Media" through the use of NRO and FOX News as well as "friendraiser[s]" like the one documented by TN blogger Bill Hobbs. Martin writes: "Now instead of getting 750 words of "If I Should Decide To Run..." in the Tennessean, we have Romney talking up his efforts to build up a national finance base and explaining why he doesn't do Sunday talk shows. And what does Team Mitt get? A Reagan comparison (at a time when he could use one) and largely favorable report that many a Tennessee Republican will see today along with, assumedly, a kind word or two on talk radio that will be heard by thousands of other Volunteer State GOPers. Oh, and probably a few more checks for that campaign that he may or may not launch."

CA 10: "The Kiss" Becomes "The Caress"

The samecircles that got such mileage out of naming Sen. Joe Lieberman's (I-CT) SOTU embrace of Pres. Bush "the kiss" have now labeled the pre-Iraq-war picture of Rep. Ellen Tauscher (D-CA) sitting with Bush's hand on her lap "the caress." But Tauscher's trouble with pictures past does not end there. DailyKos' founder Markos Moulitsas calls Tauscher "a coward" for "scrubbing pictures of Lieberman from her site in fear they'll be used against her." Kos even hits Tauscher for photos not on her site including one from the signing of the Homeland Security Act, calling the pictured Tauscher, Lieberman, Bush, and ex-Maj. Leader Tom DeLay (R-TX) "the four horsemen of the apocalypse."

Kos later spells out the netroots case against Tauscher: "Suffice it to say, she's the leader of the Conservative Blue Dog Democrats, has consistently undermined the Democratic Party, has been a driving force (not just a supporter) in things like the Bankruptcy Bill, and essentially acts like she represents Utah while serving in a 59 percent Kerry district."

Names of a potential challenger have not yet surfaced on the bigger blog front pages but state Sen. Tom Torlakson's (D) name was mentioned in the comments section (however, other commenters insist Torlakson has his eyes set on state school superintendant in 2010.

DEM FIELD: Not The Results They Were Looking For?

The netroots are upset with Newsweek for failing to mention the full results of their latest poll in their cover story on Sens. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) and Barack Obama (D-IL). The bloggers have no problem with the results mentioned in the story showing "86% of respondents would vote for a qualified woman candidate for president if their party nominated one, and 93% say the same for a qualified African-American," but they note that Newsweek forget to mention the results of the specific matchups between the top GOP/Dem frontrunners which show HRC beating Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), ex-NY mayor Rudy Giuliani (R) and MA Gov. Mitt Romney (R) in head-to-head matchups.

The Carpetbagger Report writes: "Now, I appreciate the fact that these early polls are likely to fluctuate a lot in the coming year, but why on earth would Newsweek not report the data at all?

DEM FIELD II: There's A Flag On The Field

Looking to head of internecine '08 warfare Atrios posts

"Some Notes on Primary Season" including:

• 1) Your favorite candidate is the only one who can win.
• 2) Your favorite candidate is the only one who will truly get behind a progressive agenda.
• 3) Other candidates are part of some nefarious conspiracy to destroy your candidate.
• 4) Supporters of other candidates are motivated by groupthink.
• 5) Supporters of other candidates are operating in bad faith and arguing dishonestly.
• 6) "Powerful" bloggers shouldn't be "biased."
• 7) Primary season is the silliest season of all.

DailyKos' founder Markos Moulitsas approvingly links to Atrios' rules and adds: "Too bad we can't have referees with yellow flags running around penalizing people for making these stupid arguments. Because we're going to hear them over and over again."

Meanwhile, at The Huffington PostMatt Stoller argues HRC and Obama "are not on our side in terms of progressive movement building" and therefore are not ready for the "bar fight" that is presidential politics. Instead, Stoller likes ex-Gen. Wesley Clark (D) and maybe John Edwards. Stoller says Clark "is a genuine liberal, and has fought the right clearly and consistently for the last four years, most recently in Connecticut when he was the only real surrogate against Lieberman" while Edwards has "spent much of his time working with unions" but has not stood "up for us in a real way."

DEM FIELD III: A Niche Market

TAPPED's Ezra Klein notes the exit of ex-VA Gov. Mark Warner (D) and Sen. Evan Bayh (D-IN) from the WH '08 field and writes: "In presidential primaries, "space" is the definitional attribute. Niches get filled, interest groups sated, and constituencies satisfied. ... Warner and Bayh both dropped out because there was little space to Hillary's right and even fewer voters waiting in it. ... The dynamics of this field are friendly only to liberals, and serious, electable ones at that." Later Klein adds: "As for the involvement of Howard Dean in all this, the Democratic Party is now one that he and his movement created. ... The center in the 2008 primary will be just about where Howard Dean, the lefty, was in the last one. And his success from that spot was an undeniable force in popularizing it, all the more so because it was proven right by events."

The Plank's Jonathan Chait wasn't buying: "Color me confused. I think the ideological distinction between Obama, Edwards and Gore and Hillary Clinton is fairly narrow. ... Dean ran as a faction candidate--the guy who would wrest control of the party from the traitorous moderates and give it to the "Democratic wing of the Democratic Party." I thought that was a bad message to bring into a general election, and it turns out it was a bad message for the primaries also. ... So, while Obama and Edwards have a progressive message, they're not promising to make the streets of Washington run red with the blood of the Democratic Leadership Council. Indeed, Obama, who is substantively quite liberal, has a can-we-all-get-along message that seems to account for much of his popularity."

CLINTON: Fool Me Once, Shame On You ...

TPM Cafe's Greg Sargent puts HRC's "I'm not going to believe this president again" APquote under the header "Quote Of The Day: Hillary Won't Be Fooled Again."

OBAMA: The Same, But Different

MyDD's Jerome Armstrong is showing signs of joining the pro-Obama camp. After reading Newsweek's interview with Obama, Armstrong writes: "The movement behind Barack Obama is as compelling as those behind Clark and Dean in 2004, but also different ... It's tragic that had John Kerry and John Edwards used the polarizing rhetoric on Iraq that they do now, they would have defeated Bush. ... The '08 contest, with Democrats trying for trifecta control, will be a much different election. Instead of battleground strategies, we need mapchanger attitudes; instead of nit-picking about single issues, we need a connect-the-dots vision; instead of kick-ass partisan rhetoric, we need an appeal to the nation that instills hope."

GOP FIELD: Another Free Agent Hits The Market

IA's Caucus Cooler reports one of the top remaining WH '08 "free agents," Rep. Steve King (R-IA) ex-COS Chuck Laudner, left King's staff and "is actively seeking support in an attempt to become either the state Chairman or the executive director" of the IA GOP. CC adds: "A source close to Rep. King said that the Congressman is not supporting or opposing Chuck's bid for State Chair/ED."

LANDSCAPE '08: Here To Stay

DailyKos' founder Markos Moulitsas looks at the 30 Dem House pickups and notes: "11 of the 30 districts were districts that a strong war-fueled Bush couldn't garner 50 percent against a weak Kerry. In only 10 of those districts did Bush win by a double-digit margin." Kos goes on to argue that continued GOP governing incompetence will solidify Dem gains in many of these seats and adds: "They'll clearly have big opportunities to roll back some of those pickups -- TX-22, OH-18, and FL-16, the scandal pickups -- tops amongst them. But some of these races (like CA-11, IN-02, and KS-02) are not the flukes they appear to be. These were second-time candidates who built a long-term infrastructure in their districts. But in that same vein, we have plenty of new targets to go after."

BLOGGERS VS. AUSTIN: R-E-S-P-E-C-T

Texas Kaos' Annatopia announced "Project Bridge the Gap" 12/18 on MyDD. Inspired by a narrow loss at "taking over" the TX Dems in June '08 and upset over a "institutionalist" decision "not to compete statewide in 2006" Annatopia is trying "to hand deliver a copy of Crashing the Gate to every TDP officer and SDEC [State Democratic Executive Committee] member."

Annatopia feels "that the Texas Democratic Party should no longer rely on turncoat big donors (like the ones who sabotaged Chris Bell by jumping ship to support "Independent Republican" Carole Strayhorn), and instead should build their small donor base. We believe that we should have a functioning party in all 254 counties, and we believe that it is a show of respect to travel the state and ask every voter for their support. We don't believe in waiting for demographics to shift in our favor; we believe in aggressively reaching out to the emerging Latino majority."

THOUGHT OF THE DAY: Just Say No

DailyKos' founder Markos Moulitsas advises Kossacks against "those extended warranties Best Buy and others try to sell you." After seeing a friend struggle to get Best Buy to honor a warranty on a digital camera, Kos did "a little bit of Googling" on consumer warranties and pronounced them "scams." After noting Business Week reports that retailers often make better profits on the warranties than the items themselves, Kos posts a brief USA Today ad sponsored by Consumer Reports reading:

Dear Shopper,
Despite what the salesperson says, you don't need an Extended Warranty.
Yours truly,
Consumer Reports

LEST WE FORGET: 'Tis The Season For Wholesale Smiting

RedState's Moe Lane blegs for reviews of Eternal Forces, the video game based on the Left Behind book/movie series. Lane writes: "What I want to know is, can it sustain the comprehensive levels of violence and sustained automatic weapons fire that I would personally require from a Tribulation-based game? And can I reasonably expect to be able to fire tank rounds and/or SAMs at demons at some point during game play?"

Lane continues: "PS: I'm being serious. I'd love to play a real, honest-to-God Apopcalyptic game that was done by people who actually knew something about the Book of Revelation. But I gotta have the wholesale Smiting."

Posted by Conn Carroll at 12:17 PM

December 18, 2006

12/18: The More Things Change ...

While plenty of lefty blogger criticism of incoming Senate Maj. Leader Harry Reid's (D-NV) endorsement of a brief Iraq troop increase can be found, some prominent bloggers were calling for a change in how the netroots treats Dem leaders; specifically a shift from focussing on what pols say, to what pols do. Not all Dems will be receiving the lighter treatment however. Rep. Ellen Tauscher's (D-CA) vote for the Iraq war, her perceived coziness with K Street and Pres. Bush, have already made her the netroots number one target for '08's primary season.

IRAQ: It's Time For A Change?

Reid's endorsement of a "surge" of US troops for Iraq drew wide netroots attention. Reaction was generally negative with some Reid defenders hoping he had a larger strategy in mind and others suggesting all criticism of Dem leadership should cease for now. Those firmly against Reid's statements include:

• Talking Points Memo's David Kurtz: "Harry Reid sips the Kool-aid."
• The Huffington Post's Cenk Uygur: "Harry Reid displayed classic Democratic plantation mentality on Sunday. ... Democrats need to shake the cobwebs out and realize they have been given power. They weren't given power so that they can continue to bow down to the absurd ideas of this out of control administration.
• Arianna Huffington: "Part of what has enabled this disastrous war from the beginning has been the willful delusion about who George Bush is and how he operates. ... As the old saying goes, there is nothing so permanent as a temporary solution. Except President Bush's incompetence, willful denial of reality and refusal to listen to the will of the American people. We don't need a surge of those any more than we need a surge of troops in Iraq.
• Daily Kos' Kargo X: "The political problem, of course, is the same one we've been dealing with all along. Fear of the "Dems are soft on the war/terror" meme. Or its evil twin, "We coulda won if it hadn't been for those meddling Democrats." But the time has come to cut Bush off."

Those hoping Reid has some other larger strategy behind his endorsement of more troops include:

• Atrios: "People seem to be upset that Reid sorta-endorsed the McCain/Lieberman plan to increase the number of troops in the short run. I don't really see it that way - no Senator can expect to micromanage troop levels in Iraq. Reid basically said that he's fine with any strategy which has the goal of getting the troops out by about next Spring. That, of course, isn't the McCain/Lieberman strategy."
• AMERICAblog's John Aravosis: "Reid may be using the troop increase as a backdoor way of getting a firm commitment to end our combat engagement in Iraq by 2008. By giving our commanders on the ground what they want - if in fact they want more troops - Reid and the Democrats are seen as supporting our commanders rather than undercutting the war effort, and ultimately being blamed by the Republicans for losing the war. But at the same time, Reid is giving our generals, and our commander in chief, one last change to fix things. And if they don't, we're out of there - the public will know that Bush has lost this war, Harry Reid gave him a fair shot, and it was the Democrats that finally got our troops home safely."
• Daily Kos' BarbinMD: "[i]t is true that when the troops are withdrawn from Iraq, additional forces will be required as a protection force. Hopefully this is what Reid was proposing.

TPM's Kurtz wasn't buying the logic behind a Reid gambit: "There are any number of problems with this reasoning, both politically and substantively, not the least of which is the assumption that Bush will send additional troops (check), it won't work (check), and then he'll be forced to begin a large-scale withdrawal of U.S. forces (right--just like he was going to be forced to do after the Democrats took Congress and after the ISG report). ... On the political side, 71% of Americans disapprove of Bush's handling of Iraq. Why are Democrats still looking for political cover?

Over at MyDD, Chris Bowers urges his fellow netrooters to tone done the Reid criticism:

We will also need to make a transition online. ... The latest blogswarm on Harry Reid is a particularly good example of the ways in which we need to transition ourselves. Simply put, our behavior today is not how we should be acting anymore. ... What our leaders say in public will quickly mean quite a bit less than what types of legislation and oversight they propose and conduct. For example, if one of our leaders makes a misstep in an interview on a staid, Sunday morning talk show about Iraq, that means a lot less than what that leader does or does not do to facilitate oversight, and what legislation that leader passes to help actually change course in Iraq.

I seriously doubt Harry Reid will pursue a course of policy that will lead to troop increases. If he does then that is when we need to oppose what he is doing as strongly as possible. However, if we instead throw all of our might against one poorly phrased sentence, we won't be able to mount a more serious opposition to a far more serious development. I mean, we go apoplectic all the friggin' time, we quickly turn the movement into a bunch of little boys crying wolf.

DEM FIELD: One Down, Two To Go

DailyKos' founder Markos Moulitsas tells readers he "like[s] Bayh plenty in the Senate" and reminds readers that his 12/17 exit "would make Vilsack and Clinton the last two DLCers in the race. (And I mean that literally. Vilsack replaced Bayh as the organization's chairman.)"

Looking at Sen. Barack Obama's (D-IL) putative entrance into the race, Atrios argues there is still room for a progressive in the field: "I think the primary thing that an Obama run does is kill what was the long held conventional wisdom that the race would be between Hillary and someone who manages to emerge as the Not Hillary. Obama could've been the Not Hillary if he'd gone that path, but his knee-jerk tendency to triangulate has made that unlikely. So, right now we're looking at Hillary, Obama, and NotHillaryOrObama, who will probably be Edwards.

MyDD's Jonathan Singer also argues for a progressive alternative to Clinton/Obama but has other names in mind: "Like Atrios, I see John Edwards as being the frontrunner for this position, though he is not a prohibitive one. Should Al Gore decide to or be cajoled to run, he would likely be able to fulfill this role, though if he doesn't others, including Bill Richardson, Wes Clark or even someone else (though probably not Mike Gravel), could play the part. But the key is finding the one consensus candidate to fulfill this role."

EDWARDS: Runnin' With The Big Boys

Just returned from LA 02, MyDD's Tim Tagaris looks at news Edwards will announce his candidacy from New Orleans, LA, and comments: "Of all the candidates potentially running for the Democratic nomination, John Edwards is uniquely positioned to work storm and flood recovery into his central message."

Also at MyDD, while looking at the importance of card check campaigning to organized labor, Nancy Scola writes: "It's no secret here that Edwards wants to enter the election season as a champion of American labor, a friend to the union movement. ... He's courting the big-boy unions. And he's turned to former House Whip Dave Bonior to lead his possible presidential run. ... Bonior's the chair of American Rights at Work, a group whose raison d'etre is to help workers get unionized."

KERRY: Damascus Or Bust

The Democratic Daily's Pamela Leavey defends Sen. John Kerry (D-MA) from Boston Herald's Jules Crittenden's criticism of Kerry's trip to Syria. Leavey writes: "Considering the claims by so many right wing bloggers that Kerry is irrelevant, they all spend an awful lot of time giving him coverage on the blogosphere. Which leaves open the interpretation that Kerry is, as we all know, a huge threat to BushCo apologists in the blogosphere and the BushCo shills and hacks like Jules Crittenden."

OBAMA: Bad For The Brand?

The smaller fish in the lefty blogger sea are starting to defend Obama from big kahuna criticism of his positions and rhetoric. Unfogged takes on Atrios accusations that Obama has a "knee-jerk tendency to triangulate." UF writes: ""Triangulate" connotes what Hilzoy calls "bad bipartisanship:" compromising principles for political gain. But there's very little evidence that Obama has done that. And disagreeing with other liberals about issue X doesn't make one a triangulator, as long as one actually believes that liberals are wrong on issue X. I don't get the sense that Obama's religion, for example, is a put on. If you don't like his position, fine, but saying that he's triangulating adds a baseless insult to a substantive disagreement."

Atrios responds: "Anyway, to clarify - Obama's triangulation is more rhetorical than real. One can triangulate by picking a Third Way position, or one can triangulate by picking a position and calling it the Third Way and that's what Obama tends to do. ... It may be dishonest or he may genuinely mean it, and I don't much care. Dishonesty has an honorable place in politics. ... My problem with triangulation is that it's a way for a man to win an election, but not a way to build a party's brand. It's a short term strategy to benefit an individual, not a long term strategy to increase the size of the tribe."

In a separate exchange, IL's ArchPundit takes on David Sirotacriticism of Obama's "peddling the Great Education Myth." ArchPundit responds by summing up Obama's policy prescriptions for globalization woes: "Immediately after that passage Obama talks about how workers need a need social safety net, and spends about 10 pages talking how workers need better unemployment and trade adjustment assistance, and introduces the concept of wage insurance, expanding EITC, better bargaining power for unions, portable pensions, health care, bankruptcy reform to fix the garbage that was passed, etc."

RICHARDSON: Firmly For Withdrawal

Daily Kos' MissLaura gives credit to NM Gov. Bill Richardson for calling "for a firm date in 2007 for withdrawal from Iraq" while at the winter NH Dem meeting. Laura comments: "As Democratic presidential contenders begin campaigning seriously, Iraq is going to be one of the issues to watch; of the presumed candidates Richardson appears to be staking out one of the firmer positions for withdrawal."

GINGRICH: Bested By Bill Again

Ex-Speaker Newt Gingrich (R) received rave righty blogger reviews for his 12/17 Meet the Press appearance. The Corner's Jonah Goldberg writes: "I'm a critic of what appears to be his burgeoning front-porch strategy for the White House and I'm skeptical about his chances generally, but he really is the best conservative talker in America right now. He simply has no peer, save for Bill Clinton, in the ability to extemporaneously explain an idea - or beat one back - and sound perfectly reasonable in the process."

Also impressed, Captain's Quarters wonders if Gingrich's '08 strategy can pay off: "The lack of a credible conservative candidate also plays to this strategy. He can allow himself to get drafted late in the process, avoiding some of the internecine fighting of the early campaigning and perhaps even be a figure of unity within the GOP. Clever indeed. Gingrich has always been clever, but he has miscalculated in the past. We'll have to wait until Labor Day to see whether he has this time."

ROMNEY: He Does Have Great Hair

Eye on '08 has solidified itself as the go-to destination for Romney haters. Recent E'08 hits include criticism of Romney's SC staff, amplification of Christian Broadcast Network coverage of Romney's Log Cabin letter, and charges of "flip-flopping." The last item even drew a correction from New Hampshire Union Leader's Drew Cline who writes: "Some anti-Mitt Romney outfit calling itself eyeon08.com has included me in a list of "MSM" members down on Romney for flip-flopping on abortion and marriage. Not so. I haven't made up my mind about Romney yet. Nor do I have to. It's a long way to the primary. Heck, I haven't even interviewed him yet. But I do like his hair.

Over at The Corner, Rich Lowry shares "a top conservative strategist's" thoughts on Romney's recent troubles: "He thinks the gay and abortion flip-flops are uncomfortable for him, but certainly survivable and not any worse than we've seen from other Republicans who have won the nomination." The strategist goes on to warn Team Romney about overpandering though: "Romney got into the top tier partly by getting to the right on everything through various Massachusetts controversies. I can see how his announcement yesterday on illegals, though, might have made some conservatives begin to think, "Geez, you're really pandering to me."

The Right Angle's Matt Lewis responds: "Howard Dean made this mistake in 2004. Being the liberal/outsider/blog guy got him noticed -- but in the end -- it also brought him down. ... In retrospect, Dean should have used his liberal blogger image to separate him from the pack and get him into the top tier -- and then he should have pivoted into running a more traditional campaign."

In other Romney news, TN's Bill Hobbs compares Romney to Ronald Reagan after an event in Nashville, TN. Hugh Hewitt argues the '08 field will be decided on foreign, not domestic issues, and that Romney is his man for the war on terror. Right Wing News counters Hewitt arguing Pres. Bush "has been steadfast on national security issues and not so hot on the domestic side" before noting Bush's anemic approval numbers.

THOMPSON: Some Good Grubbs

IA's Caucus Cooler and Krusty Konservative both have nothing but good things to say about ex-HHS Sec./ex-WI Gov. Tommy Thompson in light of his hiring of Steve Grubbs to head up his IA efforts.

CA 10: Just One Ned Lamont Away From Being The Next CT SEN

DailyKos' founder Markos Moulitsas posts a photo of Rep. Ellen Tauscher (D-CA) with Pres. Bush from right before the Iraq war and writes: "That's soon-to-be-primaried Ellen Tauscher with you-know-who. ... And if you're wondering what a netroots-backed primary challenge looks like from day one, read this. We're going to have fun with this future race."

Kos' "this" is a Political Cortex post lamenting CA's 300th Iraq war death. PC's Blogswarm adds: "I am disgusted by Tauscher and I'm too pissed off to write what I really think. I don't mind swearing in blog posts, but I lack the words to describe how I fell about Ellen Tauscher."

Calitics documents the scrubbing of the Bush/Tauscher photo from Tauscher's official website and adds: "I really don't know what to think. Photos online don't just disappear unless somebody (in this case a federal employee) takes the time to remove -- or scrub -- the website of the photo. Why did this happen? Is this even legal?" Firedoglake's Jane Hamsher also noticed the picture go missing: "Don't worry, Ellen. We'll remember."

BELTWAY VS. BLOGGERS: Politics As Usual

Blog P.I. tracks a blogosphere rumor about possible incoming Sen. Jim Webb (D-VA) opposition research on a list of VA bloggers (both right and left) and doesn't see anything out of the ordinary. Commenting on Webb research into official "Netroots Coordinator" Lowell Feld, Blog P.I. writes: "Why on Earth would he want to risk alienating his chief ally in the blogosphere? Easy: To protect himself. Everybody who follows politics at least casually knows about oppo research, but the flip-side of that seamy-but-crucial campaign activity is what's called self-research. ... Some Virginia bloggers assume this research might have been used for character assassination, but what's more likely is the Dem-side research was done to decide whether to hire Feld in the first place, and whether to associate with other bloggers. Do we really expect that a Senate campaign wouldn't do this kind of due diligence?"

THOUGHT OF THE DAY: The Right Questions

The Washington Monthly's Kevin Drum is shocked to find himself asking the same questions Instapundit is. Instapundit writes:

We like to treat this [i.e., the broad war on terror] as a military problem because (1) we're good at those; and (2) that seems to produce simple questions, like "more troops, or not?" Trouble is, those probably aren't the right questions. ... Our Army size was entirely adequate for crushing Saddam's forces in short order. It's probably adequate to doing the same to Iran's forces. It's not up to fully policing a big country once we've done that. Do we want a military that is?

Drum then links to a summary of a New Yorker piece describing the GWOT as a "global counterinsurgency" and writes: "Food for thought. I confess that I'm not entirely sure (a) exactly what a "global counterinsurgency" would entail, although a few of its features are fairly clear, and (b) whether we ought to create a branch of the military dedicated to occupation and peacekeeping (since it seems unlikely to me that our existing Army can do both that and fight conventional wars). I lean toward believing that we should, because even though I'd like to see us fight many fewer wars than we do, it's inevitable that we're going to fight at least few. As long as that's the case, we better learn how to fight them successfully."

LEST WE FORGET: It's Your World, The Rest Of Us Just Live In It

Blogger derision of Time's decision to name everybody person of the year was widespread. MyDD new comer Nancy Scola had the wittiest reaction: "I'm with Markos in tagging this a cop-out, though perhaps not surprising following years where the picks were "The American Soldier" and "Whistleblowers." Next year the magazine's cover will just be blank and will arrive in the mail with a crayon taped to it with which you can express your singular vision by just drawing someone's face in. Or a picture of your cat. Whatever. It's your world, the rest of us just live in it."

While Scola had a great line, Blog P.I. deserves credit for predicting this move two months ago when they wrote at the time: "[I]t's only been about 10 months since Time Magazine declined to choose an individual for its much-devalued Person of the Year award, so it only stands to reason they're back in the hunt. It's also been nearly a decade since Time named someone (or thing) from the tech industry - Jeff Bezos in 1999 - and more than 20 years since they named the PC its "Machine of the Year." Also, it's not an election year, so it won't be the winner of the presidential election. It's time for another gimmick!"

Posted by Conn Carroll at 12:28 PM

December 14, 2006

12/14: Immigration And '08

Maybe it's because we're close to Christmas, but outside of Michelle Malkin the usual righty blogger suspects aren't blaring as loud as normal following 12/13's Immigration and Customs Enforcement raid of meatpacking plants in 6 states. The early consensus on ex-Rep.-elect Ciro Rodriguez's (D) victory over Rep. Henry Bonilla (R-TX) seems to be that hardline GOP positions on immigration cost them the seat. Already, one righty blogger is questioning the political expediency of pushing the immigration issue. With MA Gov. Mitt Romney (R) deputizing state law enforcement officers to enforce federal immigration laws, how many other '08 hopefuls will move closer to Sen. John McCain's (R-AZ) position on immigration?

TX 23: Rove's Nightmare Comes True?

Almanac of American Politics editor Charles Mahtesian's Hotline On Call observation on Rodriguez's victory drew wide blogger reaction. Mahtesian wrote: "Take a look at these remarkable numbers in Maverick County. Bonilla won it with 59% in 2004, even as Kerry was carrying the county; Bonilla lost it 86-14% tonight. Maverick County is a border county and home to Eagle Pass, where the border fence issue was huge. Bonilla's vote in favor of a fence made an enormous difference here."

DailyKos' founder Markos Moulitsas comments: "Boy, has the "border fence" issue backfired disastrously on the GOP ... Here's what Rove knew -- second-generation Latinos were more likely to be Democratic. Naturalized Latinos, however, trended heavily Republican. Bush won recent immigrants in 2004. Liberalized immigration laws and a path to citizenship would've solidified millions of Latinos as future Republicans, grateful for being given the opportunity. Instead, the Tancredo crowd has pushed Latinos into the open arms of the Democratic Party."

AMERICAblog's Joe in DC weighs in: "The GOP decided to follow the immigrant-bashing strategy of "Tex" Sensenbrenner. The Republicans can only demonize and beat up on people for so long before they fight back. Of course, that doesn't help explain why one in four gay people vote Republican."

The analysis even had some righty bloggers re-thinking their immigration stance. Ankle Biting PunditsBull Dog Pundit writes: "To me, this story is very disconcerting to those, like me, who have a "Border Security First" view of the immigration issue. ... What gives me trepidation about the result is that it appears Bonilla's support of the border fence cost him the race ... ominously for those of us who agree with the view of "enforcement first", I don't think there's any other way to spin this race other than to say that argument caused Bonilla's defeat - in a "border" county no less. For the record, I'm not saying I think my view on immigration is the wrong one in practice. I'm just saying that politically, it may not be a winner."

Other non-immigration related thoughts on the race include:

• Kos: "Tom DeLay's redistricting gambit was a huge disaster. ... I used to be in favor of tit-for-tat mid-decade redistricting in Democratic-controlled states. I've changed my mind."
• The Corner's Jonathan Martin: "There is, however, one bright spot in yesterday's results, at least for true-blue conservatives. Rep. Henry Bonilla's (R) loss marks the seventh defeat or retirement this cycle of a Republican appropriator - eight if you include the Duke-stir.
• The Right Angle's John Gizzi: "Withered Grassroots Helped Defeat Bonilla, Says Texas GOP's Ex-Chairman ... So says Tom Pauken, former Reagan Administration official, longtime conservative activist, and state Republican chairman of Texas from 1993-96. ... He added that the decline in volunteers and grass-roots activist "is something apparent in most of our counties, including Bexar County [San Antonio]," which is the hub of the district Bonilla has held since 1992."

IMMIGRATION: In A Completely Unrelated Story ...

Immigration and Customs Enforcement's raid on meat-packing plants in 6 states drew heavy blogger attention, the heft of it from the right. Michelle Malkin and The Right Angle's Ivy Sellers focussed on the identity theft angle of the story, with Malkin noting "One of the victims was a Border Patrol agent!" CO's Slapstick Politics rounded up MSM coverage of the story and Malkin complains that New York Timescoverage of the raids highlighted "arrested workers' families in tears" and not "any of the hundreds of American victims of illegal alien identity theft whose Social Security numbers were stolen to enable the illegal alien workers to work."

The Lonewacko calls the raids "too little too late" and sees them only as evidence of Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-MA) and Pres. Bush serving their "massive amnesty" masters. Lashawn Barber and Captain's Quarters both want more punishment for companies like the raided meatpacker. CQ writes: "The company faces no charges because they acted in good faith. They used the Basic Pilot system to check on the credentials of their workers, and the system reported that the SSNs were legitimate. ... However, that did not keep Swift from angrily denouncing the raids and Basic Pilot as ineffective, a position they took at Congressional hearings this summer. ... The government has let private industry off the hook for their use of illegal immigrants for too long, and it's good to see that change. However, we had better be prepared for the economic damage this could cause."

Malkin seconded CQ's call for economic sacrifice: "Yes, it's something I've repeated often. We have all been immunized from the consequences of lax immigration enforcement. On 9/11, 3,000 people paid for some of the costs with their lives. Higher meat prices, more expensive hotels, and costlier produce are nothing compared to what many other victims of open-borders chaos have suffered."

On the left TPMmuckraker's coverage was widely cited by other bloggers. Muckraker highlighted two MSM stories: one on ICE agents allegedly separating workers by skin color to determine citizenship; and another on a baby left motherless.

GOP FIELD: Conservative Candidate Wanted

The Corner's Rich Lowry says a piece on ex-VA Gov. Jim Gilmore (R) "reminded me of my 2008 Republican-primary principle: if you're a conservative, run!" Lowry profiles the rest of the field: "Romney projects as a strong candidate, but if he stumbles, there is going to be a big gap for a non-McCain conservative. Who would fill it? Brownback? Huckabee? If you are a conservative office-holder (or former office-holder apparently) out there, you've got to think, 'Well, why am I any more unlikely than any of those guys?'" He concludes: "Jim Gilmore wants to fill the slot George Allen's defeat left open."

BROWNBACK: The Next Pat Robertson?

Eye on '08 doubts Sen. Sam Brownback (R-KS) has the star power to eclipse MA Gov. Mitt Romney (R-MA) as the conservative alternative to Sen. John McCain (R-AZ): "I've heard that he's been on the phone this week contacting leaders who are publicly and privately unhappy with Romney. Right now, conservatives and evangelicals, especially, are looking for a leader who is genuinely with them, not just someone they can rent. ... But, in the end, Sam Brownback doesn't become President, and I don't think Brownback thinks he will be President. He thinks that either, he becomes VP or he becomes the public spokesman for the conservative Christian movement, in the same way that Pat Robertson's 1988 race made him the public face."

GIULIANI: Forget DuHaime, Is K-Lo Faltering?

The Right Angle's Matt Lewis describes ex-NY mayor Rudy Giuliani's (R) hiring of Mike DuHaime as "huge" because "it is a clear signal that Rudy -- currently the most popular GOP candidate in America (if you believe the polls) -- is in this thing."

At The Corner, Romney/Santorum fan Kathryn Jean Lopez describes Giuliani as "positively Santorum-like" for his recent comments on "Islam-fundamentalist terrorists" and adds: "And Rudy did campaign for Rick . Giuliani-Santorum 2008? That might make Peoria give the NY guy a second look."

MCCAIN: Regulate First, Ask Questions Later

Team McCain moved rapidly to squelch bad blogger buzz after Drudge and Slashdot both linked to a CNET story on McCain's "Stop the Online Exploitation of Our Children Act." McCain's office contacted Instapundit claiming the bill does not create a blogger obligation to monitor or discover child porn, only to report it once aware of it. Apparently the bill is directed at "the MySpaces of the world," not individual bloggers. Instapundit was not convinced: "I've given the bill a quick read -- text here -- and it doesn't seem entirely clear to me that it doesn't reach individual bloggers, regardless of intent. ... UPDATE: Email from InstaPundit readers is universally mistrustful of McCain, which is indicative of just how much damage he's done himself with his support of campaign finance "reform."

The Directors at RedState were less forgiving, calling McCain "The Regulator" under the header "John McCain Wants To Regulate You Until You Shut Up." The Directors add: "We'd love it if, just once, John McCain's good intentions led to something besides massive government regulation of our daily lives." Also at RedStatemachiavel adds: "As a pander to what the Senator endearingly terms "the far-right base" it's probably good politics -- or at least someone in his office thought so. But, as legislation, it's very poorly crafted and shows a certain cluelessness when it comes to the medium he has repeatedly tried to regulate to death. It also dashes the hope expressed by some that McCain would represent a revival of the Goldwater-Gingrich "leave us alone" coalition that could drive a stake through the heart of Big Government Conservatism. As with CFR, as with Kyoto, as with the gun-show loophole, McCain's answer is always to regulate first, and ask questions later -- the essence of Big Government "conservatism."

Reacting to Robert Novak's 12/13 op-ed on GOP liklihood of nominating McCain since he is the "corporate choice," Captain's Quarter's writes: "The problem with the corporate choice, in Novak's history, is that it tends to favor the Rockefeller Republicans. Gerald Ford, Dole (Ford's running mate in 1976), and Bush all came from the moderate wing of the party. ... I tend to doubt Novak's analysis in this case. The previous corporate choices, if they can truly be known as such, had one particular quality even above their political moderation: consistency. McCain, on the other hand, has spent the last several years nurturing his reputation as a maverick. He has waffled on tax cuts, opposing them for most of the time since they got enacted in 2002-3 until deciding to run for President. He has been unreliable on judicial nominations, and reliably bad on free speech."

Captain's Quarters also has doubts as to whether MN Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R) has the credentials to shore up the GOP's conservative base.

ROMNEY: Where Is Romney On Iraq?

Romney continues to take heavy blogger criticism for his 1994 statements on gay marriage. The Right Angle's Ivy Sellers and Ankle Biting Pundit's Bull Dog Pundit both are unimpressed with Romney's brush off of AP inquiries into gay marriage record. Eye on '08 notes that Pat Robertson's Christian Broadcasting Network's The Brody File is on day three of their Romney "assault." The Brody File even posts an email response from Romney's Communications Director including Romney's 6/04 Senate testimony on the Federal Marriage Amendment and his remarks to a 10/06 "Liberty Sunday" event.

Eye on '08 is even moved to respond to commenter suggestion that Romney is "toast." The Eye writes: "In the end, Romney has three things going for him which will make him the most important #2 to McCain: 1) Romney may be able to raise as much or more money than McCain; 2) Romney will have all the talent he needs at all levels; 3) He is still the most credible anti-McCain because of 1 and 2. ... Simply put, I don't believe that anyone else can put together a 50-state operation, especially in Iowa, which is what it will take to challenge McCain."

In addition to troubles on the social conservative front, trouble on the national security front is slowly brewing as well. The Corner's Rich Lowry asks: "Just curious-has anyone heard him say anything on troop levels in Iraq? If he has, I've missed it." Streiff at RedState also wants to know when Romney's position on the ISG will be forthcoming.

Turning to good blogo-Romney news, The Right Angle celebrates Romney's "tough stance on immigration" and Krusty Konservative's IA sources tell him Gentry Collins will lead Romney efforts in IA and will play a role nationally. KK adds: "This move shows us how important Iowa is in Romney's quest to win the Republican presidential nomination. Gentry Collins is hands-down one of the best people that you could get to run an Iowa kampaign."

Finally, The Right Angle's Matt Lewis argues its high time Team Romney hired an official blogger and links to Robert Bluey's earlier list of GOP blogger options.

CLINTON: Ski Bum

Tom Schaller at Tapped cites a Rocky Mountain News story suggesting that Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) would actually benefit from Denver, calling it "spot on." Schaller: "Yet a source close enough to the site machinations told me last week that Clinton is really pushing for New York. I confirmed with Clinton blogger nonpareil Peter Daou that, in fact, Hillary wants NYC to host the convention. As an advocate of the pan-western strategy for Democrats, with special focus on the Interior West and Midwest, I think it would be a tragic error to have the 2008 convention in New York." Schaller says Denver would help so much it "makes me wonder if the Hillary teams is really providing any resources beyond lip service to secure New York as the site."

Later, Schaller reports on a conversation with James Carville, who thinks HRC can win FL, OH, CO, NV, MN and IA -- all states Pres. Bush took in '04.

Firedoglake's Jane Hamsher criticizes HRC for "hanging out with Holy Joe" Lieberman "and scolding folks about violent video games." Hamsher suggests Clinton and Lieberman "really need to do something" about Wal-Mart's refusal to pull the Left Behind: Eternal Forces video game, in which one opponent of the game says "you are mowing down your enemy with a gun. It pushes a message of religious intolerance."

OBAMA: No Crowbar Needed To Pry Him Into The Race

TMPcafe's Eric Kleefeld reports on an ad on behalf of Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL), being run by DraftObama.com movement in NH. Kleefeld has a copy of the ad and surmises that "if Obama's recent high-profile activity in New Hampshire is any indication, conscription may not exactly be required to get Obama in the race."

Over at the Coffeehouse, M.J. Rosenberg comments on recent CNN segments featuring several on-air personalities questioning Obama's name. "Pretty racist, if you ask me. I don't recall CNN playing with Joe Lieberman's name when he first went national in 2000." More: "You can't mock Jews or African-Americans and you can mock people with Arab-sounding names and so CNN will." He concludes: "Anyway, no reason for us Obama fans to be upset. It is still 2006. They can ridicule the Senator's name for another year. The joke will be long stale by the end of 2007." For the record, Rosenberg also suggests a running mate for Obama: Al Gore.

BLOGGERS VS. BELTWAY: The Season Of Giving

At Daily Kos, Adam B is able to shed more light on how much money Dems gave to the DCCC and individual Dems. Top 10 "heroes":

Nancy Pelosi (raised/gave $59,400,143) Rahm Emanuel ($42,200,158) Debbie Wasserman Schultz ($14,923,765) Chris Van Hollen ($13,997,311) Joe Crowley ($7,799,144) Steny Hoyer ($7,441,619) Mike Thompson ($5,453,005) John Murtha ($4,514,249) Jan Schakowsky ($3,516,160) George Miller ($3,320,050)

And the top "Misers" who sat on the largest CoH.

Marty Meehan (MA)
Frank Pallone (NJ)
Robert Andrews (NJ)
Lloyd Doggett (TX)
Steve Rothman (NJ)
Bill Delahunt (MA)
Jerry Costello (IL)
Bud Cramer (AL)
Tom Lantos (CA)
Richard Neal (MA)
Jesse Jackson Jr. (IL)

MyDD's Jonathan Singer writes that one of the few disappointments in '06 was allowing incumbents like Rep. Gary Miller (R-CA 42) to run unopposed. The Los Angeles Times reported this week that Miller, on the day Monrovia's City Council was to vote on whether to turn land owned by Miller into a wilderness preserve, asked a staffer to find a way to place one of the councilmen on the "prestigious" National Park System Advisory Board. And internal memos show that Miller "continued to push for the councilman's appointment even after staff members warned him that trying to secure the park board seat for the councilman could appear to be a bribe." The Hill adds that Miller attempted to secure earmarks for the city to buy property he owned.

Singer: "In short, this guy has a serious ethics, if not corruption problem and we -- the Netroots, the Democratic Party, and House Democrats -- were remiss for not actively recruiting a candidate to run against him this year. This mistake cannot and must not be repeated this year, either in California's 42nd district or anywhere else."

THOUGHT OF THE DAY: Another Shameless Republican

Reacting to Tom Delaysuggestions that righty bloggers need to fight harder on line, Insta-Wife Dr. Helen responds:

Many times, people mistakenly call me a Republican although I am a right-leaning libertarian. Apparently, labeling one as a Republican gives ammunition to call one sexist, evil, mean-spirited or just plain scum. How many times do you hear someone apologizing for having right leaning views -- "Oh, no, I am not really a Republican, I have other views etc." My question is, what if one is a Republican or right leaning. So what? Is that a crime? Are those who are Republicans afraid to speak their views at universities, in academic settings, in the media etc. for fear of being labeled something vile? Maybe speaking up and not slinking around in shame would be a better strategy.

It seems like those with views other than liberal must wear the Scarlet R. Well, I will not hide any longer. If people want to call me a Republican, I will wear the label with pride with the R proudly displayed on my forehead whether it really fits or not, just to show my solidarity with those who are oppressed by such labels. Maybe you should too.

LEST WE FORGET: Blame Canada

Deadspin links to an Out of Left Field makes the case that Canada dominated its neighbor to the south in the sporting world this year. Items on his list include:

• Cindy Klassen, whose five medals were the highlight of this country's most successful Winter Olympics, was named the winner of the Lou Marsh Award just minutes ago as Canada's outstanding athlete. She symbolizes this year in Canadian sport, before Steve Nash and three other reigning MVPs -- soccer's Christine Sinclair as U.S. women's college athlete of the year, Justin Morneau in major-league baseball and Joe Thornton in the NHL.
• The World Series was a mistake-fest that was won by a team which had fewer regular-season victories than the Toronto Blue Jays, not that St. Louis Cardinals fans should feel need to apologize for their unlikely victory.
• World Baseball Classic? Canada, with a lineup of pros who earn less combined than Alex Rodriguez, who couldn't even decide what team he wanted to play for, beat Team USA, which was triumph enough. The powerhouse U.S. team couldn't even get to the semifinals.

Posted by Conn Carroll at 12:26 PM

December 13, 2006

12/13: Are You Ready For Some '08?

While lefty bloggers had plenty of otherthings to say about Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) 12/12, surprisingly few had anything to day about Obama's 12/11 Monday Night Football intro. The Plank had a post before the clip aired more poking fun at MNF's cultural demise than commenting on Obama, and Crooks and Liars posted the video (a full 30 hours after it aired), but among the netroots big boys, nary a mention. Righty bloggers on the other hand couldn't get enough of the bit. Were they genuinely impressed with Obama's sense of humor, or were they just happy to see Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) squirm?

OBAMA: Why Do Lefties Hate Football? ... And Why Do Righties Hate The NFC?

The Corner was full of reactions to Obama's MNF intro 12/11. Rich Lowry included some email reactions of readers:

• I watched the Bears game with my father & wife's grandfather in Dupage County, Illinois. Unlike the rest of America we know how to vote. (Have fun in Washington, Congressman Peter Roskam!) Both my father & my wife's grandfather started voting Republican right out of the womb. But when the Obama Monday Night Football cameo ended they both turned to each other & said, "I like that guy." Mitt, John & Rudy, be afraid, very afraid.
• Obama's turn on Monday Night Football was actually very well done. I don't like his politics, but it's hard not to like the person. He's got an easy smile and came across like "It's cool to be asked to do this, so I am doing it." Nothing awkward at all. He's very non-threatening.
• I think it was a pretty good political move. Any chance to snub Hillary, who at times has portrayed herself as some sort of Chicago sports fan, is a plus for him.
• The NFC has become so much worse, and more boring, than the AFC, that I did not even know it happened until you told me.

The Right Angle's Ivy Sellers posts video of the clip and adds: "After watching the clip, I've got to hand it to the guy -- that was pretty good. Hillary had to be squirming for a minute or two."

Definitely not watching football 12/11, Andrew Sullivan does post the text of Obama's address to Rick Warren's mega-church and liked Obama's words: "They impress me. They give me hope. That's all for now. And it's enough for now."

Lefty bloggers were watching CNN 12/11 and they were not happy with the network's "cheeky feature segment on the similarity between "Osama" and "Obama," complete with side-by-side photos of the two." The Plank's Michael Crowley acknowledges the bit was intended to be funny but adds: "on some level I'm sure this stuff sinks in." TPM Cafe's Eric Kleefeld includes Obama's quote from the piece: ""I mean, it would be one thing if my name was 'John Hussein Smith.' When you're already starting with 'Barack Obama...'"

Obama's NH tour continued to draw lefty blogger reaction 12/12. TAPPED's Ezra Klein admits to finding the "Obama hype" puzzling, but after watching video of Obama in NH, he came away impressed: "It's one of the most remarkable addresses I've ever seen, and, in its soft and irresistible way, it explains the whole of the buzz. In possibly the most telling section, he gives a great riff on health care, which manages to totally inspire while not actually saying anything sweeping or controversial. Watching it, you'd swear he just promised the stars, the sky, and universal insurance, when he really just committed to electronic records. And yet, you scarcely mind, if you even noticed.

Also commenting on the substance Obama's NH speech, The Huffington Post's David Sirota is in full attack mode: "Most of Obama's speech is a rambling ode to happy-sounding concepts like "democracy" and "unity" and "bipartisanship." It was only toward the end that the audience got a taste of substance on the defining economic issue of the next 50 years: globalization."

Sirota goes on to hit Obama for buying into the "Great Education Myth - the idea that if we only just made everyone in America smarter, we would solve outsourcing, wage depression and health care/pension benefit cuts that are the result of forcing Americans to compete in an international race to the bottom." Sirota continues, blaming "Big Money" for propagating the Great Education Myth so they can deflect attention away from reform of "our trade policy to equalize capital protections (copyrights/patents) and human protections (labor/wage/enviro)."

LANDSCAPE '08: They Took The Country To Pottery Barn, Not Us

Picking up on Hotline editor Chuck Todd's 12/12 observation that former Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) and MA Gov. Mitt Romney (R) advisor Mike Murphy's 12/12 Los Angeles Timesop-ed seemed to scream: "PRES. BUSH, STOP IRAQ FROM BEING A 'REPUBLICAN WAR'!" DailyKos' founder Markos Moulitsas writes: "Ultimately, it is Bush's war, even though McCain and Lieberman have struggled mightily to make it theirs as well."

Kos continues: "Democrats have made clear their solution -- a withdrawal timetable. That is our solution. Bush, McCain, Lieberman, the remaining neocons, and the "serious" pundits are betting that sending more troops and some extra loud clapping will spontaneously generate magic ponies in Iraq and all will be well. They're wrong, and all they're doing is getting more of our own killed, but they've making their choice in opposition to Democratic wishes and those of the American people. ... In 2008, there will be no way that Republicans will be able to shirk off responsibility for their war. They broke it, they bought it. It's theirs."

GOP FIELD: A Sweet 16 For McCain

DailyKos' founder Markos Moulitsas invites readers to examine the GOP's '08 primary calendar:

January 21: Iowa
January 28: New Hampshire
February 5: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Michigan,
Missouri, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina,
North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Utah,
and West Virginia.

Kos comments: "That's 16 states in the first two weeks of the race, including delegate-rich New Jersey, Florida, Missouri and Michigan, giving the guy with the most media buzz and money an advantage. At this early point of the race, that person is McCain."

MCCAIN: Romney's Not The Only One With A Past

IA's Krusty Konservative does "not have a horse in the 2008 race" but after hitting Romney earlier KK decided to examine McCain's conservative record:

• Gay marriage: Senator McCain is an opponent of a federal amendment to ban gay marriage.
• Tax Cuts: An early opponent of the Bush tax cuts - McCain voted against them in 2001, citing his desire for fiscal responsibility. Later, he changed his position on the Bush tax cuts and voted for their extension after he began looking towards an '08 run.
• Abortion: McCain says he has a 100% pro-life voting record. While it's not 100%, it's pretty good, overall. However, he has a few are trouble spots.
• Immigration: McCain's position is a tough one for most konservatives, but it's an issue that also haunts konservatives like Brownback and Huckabee.
• McCain Feingold (what's with all the co-sponsorships with the most liberal members of the Senate?): Perhaps the most liberal item in the McCain record - it especially affects political speech on the right, while allowing unions and other voices on the left to go unabated.
• War on Terror: McCain takes a brave stance in support of the Iraq war, calling for a substantial troop increase in the short term to "turn the tide" against the terrorists and rising sectarian violence.
• Spending: this is where I find the most agreement with Senator McCain. He has a very strong record opposing rampant federal spending, pork, and earmarks.
• Ethanol: OK, this isn't an issue for konservatives per se, but it's a big deal for Iowans. McCain has always opposed subsidies for ethanol.

ROMNEY: Getting His $250K Worth

IA's Caucus Cooler posts an email from Romney fundraiser Nicole Schlinger whom CC claims signed with Romney for "somewhere in the neighborhood of 250K." The email titled "Clarifying Gov. Romney's Support for Traditional Marriage" includes:

As you may know, an article is being circulated today by supporters of Sen. John McCain as an attempt to mislead voters about Governor Mitt Romney's unwavering support for traditional marriage. In fact, his record of defending marriage is unassailable, and frankly is unmatched by any other political figure in America. ... He does believe, however, that we should be a tolerant nation. ... Mitt Romney is 100% committed to a federal marriage amendment, while other possible candidates for president, including Senator John McCain, are not.

CC comments: "A couple of small shots at McCain and an empassioned defense of her man. Nice pick-up for team Romney."

Back in DC, Eye on 08 is tracking "Evangelical media" reaction to the "Romney/gay story" including a "Romney Family Values Stand Under Fire" story from "Pat Robertson's Christian Broadcasting Network." Eye08 also links to CBN's The Brody File posting about Brian Camenker Mass Resistance group attacking Romney on marriage. Eye08 adds: "When Brody says,"Family conservative activist groups like Family Research Council and Focus on the Family are not happy" he knows what he's talking about."

RedState's Leon Wolf is not done getting his money's worth out of his Lexis access, this time highlighting a 7/25/02 Hotline write up of a Boston Globe piece on Romney and the minimum wage. Wolf comments: "Apart from the fact that this is not exactly a "conservative" or "business-friendly" view of the minimum wage (it is, in fact, one of the oldest plays in the liberal Democrat playbook), the story of Mitt Romney's journey to this position is damning for its similarity to other journeys that Mitt Romney has recently taken."

CLINTON: A Doubly Or Triply Unfortunate Position

The Huffington Post's Sheldon Drobny reminds readers "that Bill Clinton was responsible for the execution of a mentally retarded murderer" due to DLC wishes to demonstrate "that Democrats were not soft on crime." Drobny argues: "I strongly suspect that [Sen.] Hillary [Clinton (D-NY)] voted for the war in Iraq because of the same political expediency."

In a seemingly unrelated post Matthew Yglesias wishes "we could keep the discourse a little bit more elevated" than a New York Timesarticle on gender barriers HRC will face in her WH run but also adds: "There are much better questions to ask about Clinton's views on national security policy than whether she's too girly to handle it. Indeed, there's at least some indication that fear of this sort of misogynistic attack is part of what's motivated her to take such a hawkish line which winds up being doubly or triply unfortunate."

GORE: Dated Obama, Married Gore?

Al Gore's 12/11 refusal to rule out an '08 run continues to tantalize lefty bloggers. Firedoglake's Pachacutec: "From the time I saw An Inconvenient Truth, I thought it was a campaign film. It included a lot of rebranding of his image and some inoculation against his perceived flaws in the public mind, brought to you by the establishment media in 2000."

At The Huffington Post, Taylor Marsh adds: "When you hear a big time politician like Al Gore continue to offer caveats on running for president he's seriously thinking about running for president. ... Or maybe I'm just hoping beyond hopes we will actually have a deep thinking candidate that knows about foreign policy and military issues, while having deep knowledge of the biggest challenge we face in our lifetime, energy independence. So, stop by Run Obama. But then get serious. Say it with me: Run, Al, run."

KUCINICH: The "Cure"

The Nation's John Nichols reports that Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) is running "to cure what ails his own Democratic Party. The Democratic disease, he says, is