photo credit: subpop77

- Retired Army, Navy and Air Force secretaries will lend a boost to the Obama campaign today at 1:30pm EST during a press conference to be held in D.C.

- Obama won the Wyoming Caucuses this weekend picking up an estimated 7 delegates to Clinton’s 4.

- Up next, Mississippi where Obama is also favored to win.

- John McCain will begin a nationwide fundraising blitz this week.

- The New Yorker has a not always flattering look at the mismanagement and amazing resurrection of the Clinton campaign.

- The first Democratic win of 2008 has come in the Illinois 14th district where a special election was won by Democrat Bill Foster who defeated Republican Jim Oberweis. The seat was held by Former Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert.

- The Times looked over Barack Obama’s career in the Senate finding a lot of star power but not a lot of depth.

He went to the Senate intent on learning the ways of the institution, telling reporters he would be “looking for the washroom and trying to figure out how the phones work.” But frustrated by his lack of influence and what he called the “glacial pace,” he soon opted to exploit his star power. He was running for president even as he was still getting lost in the Capitol’s corridors.

…And while he rightly takes credit for steering through an ethics overhaul that reformers called a “gold standard,” like most freshmen he did not play a significant role in passing much other legislation and disappointed some Democrats for not becoming a more prominent voice in other important debates.

- John McCain got “testy” with a reporter late last week when she pressed him on a meeting in 2004 with Senator John Kerry.

- The Clinton’s spent the weekend pushing the idea of a joint ticket, undoubtedly a Hillary/Obama ticket but also left open the idea of the opposite as well. Obama wanted no party saying it was too early for such talk and that he would turn down a VP offer.

- Al Sharpton is considering a lawsuit against Florida if delegates from the states primary are seated at the convention.

photo credit: markhillary

Good morning Geeks heres what’s happening.

- The Obama campaign is sharpening its attacks against Clinton and top on the table is the demand for Clinton to release her tax records. The Clinton campaign is dismissing the demand but there is an ironic little twist. Back in 2000 during Hillary’s run for the Senate she made an issue over the same thing demanding her opponent Rick Lazio release his and charging that his failure to do so was a sign he was hiding something. So heavy was the demand that aide Howard Wolfson would dress up as Uncle Sam to protest rallies.

- Yesterday President Bush endorsed Senator John McCain and everyone is asking will it help or hurt? A new ad linking Bush & McCain is debuting to try and frame the endorsement in a very negative way.

- Hillary’s Math Problem?, Clinton had big wins this week but as Obama aide David Plouffe notes “Our projections show the most likely outcome of yesterday’s elections will be that Hillary Clinton gained 187 delegates, and we gained 183.” Even if Clinton wins every primary from this point on and takes them with big margins she won’t have enough delegates to secure the nomination. Obama won’t be able to clinch the nomination with pledged delegates either but the most likely scenario is that Obama will go into the nomination with more pledged than Clinton.

The new move by Obama and the media is to say that pledged delegates are the deciding factor and because Clinton cannot win the majority, she should drop out.

- Yesterday Clinton hinted the nomination fight may be leading to a joint ‘dream ticket’ and Obama said that kind of talk was premature.

- What is going to happen with Florida and Michigan? No one knows but watch today as everyone begins a gigantic speculation explosion that will consume and possibly destroy us all. Seriously, it is coming… I promise… really.

- Clinton has magically regained her lead in Gallup tracking polls. Is it a comeback or are these polls just not believable? I go for the latter but we will see.

- How Health Care played in this weeks primaries.

- Stories of internal struggles in the Clinton camp, read everyone hates Mark Penn, are swirling as they have been for, well, months now.

With a flurry of phone calls and e-mail messages that began before polls closed, campaign officials made clear to friends, colleagues and reporters that they did not view the wins as validation for the candidate’s chief strategist. “A lot of people would still like to see him go,” a senior adviser said.

The depth of hostility toward Penn even in a time of triumph illustrates the combustible environment within the Clinton campaign, an operation where internal strife and warring camps have undercut a candidate once seemingly destined for the Democratic nomination.

- The Limbaugh effect?

- Rural Ohio is no friend to Democrats.

Where Are They?
McCain - Florida and Georgia

Clinton & Obama, no planned events

photo credit: -l.i.l.l.i.a.n-

Good morning Geeks. I had one thought last night as I saw the reports that Senator Clinton was about to take the stage, that was song choice. One song alone stood out in my mind and it starts with the simple lines, Don’t Call it a Comeback and from there really sets the tone for Senator Clinton’s big win last night. The song… well obviously “Momma Said Knock You Out” by LL Cool J. Of course all season I keep thinking the Senator should be walking around to Nelly Furtado’s version of Maneater, so what do I know?

Anyway, let’s get some brew.

- Incase you didn’t get the results last night, Senator McCain won all four primaries Clinching the Nomination

Mike Huckabee dropped out.

Senator Clinton won Texas, Ohio & Rhode Island, Senator Obama won Vermont.

We are still awaiting the results of last nights caucus.

- President Bush will endorse McCain today.

- The Washington Post looks at new calls for Obama to change tactics after yesterdays defeat:

“A senior Obama strategist, David Axelrod, acknowledged that he is receiving varied advice from Democrats, including changing Obama’s stump speech to emphasize his American roots and pushing for a second round of changes in the nation’s welfare laws, this time aimed at stray fathers.

If Obama finds himself forced to defend his patriotism before a skeptical electorate, he will be in deep trouble, Vilsack warned. But, he added, “what’s the alternative, ignore it? We paid a price in 2004 for thinking the charge wouldn’t stick.”

- Reports spread yesterday, including one from Tom Brokaw, that the Obama campaign was grabbing superdelegate endorsements that it could unleash soon as a way of forcing Clinton out of the race. Politico reported that the Clinton team was scrambling to stop defections of its superdelegates.

The question now is, do those superdelegates go out on a limb after Clinton’s winning night or do they hold off and let this play out for awhile?

- Talk has now moved onto a #2 pick for McCain. OK talk was already moving there but now it seems substantive.

- The Obama campaign sent out an e-mail last night decrying Senator Clinton’s negative campaigning. Meanwhile the Politico sums up the win saying Clinton’s lesson: Attacking Obama works, which put another way, run the primary the way the general will be run.

- Ron Paul & Dennis Kucinich held off primary challengers for their Congressional seats.

- In a sign things got a little weird, desperate, sad for the Obama campaign yesterday, its top lawyer infiltrated a Clinton conference call to hurl accusations. To what end? I haven’t a clue.

Where Are They Today?

Clinton: Washington, D.C. Will be on all six morning shows, starting at 7 am ET

Obama: From San Antonio to Chicago. Will do morning shows, starting at 6:15 am ET

McCain: Washington, D.C.; Gulf Stream, FL

photo credit: IamSAM.

Good morning Geeks and happy Super Tuesday, again, wait, what? Yes today contests are being held in Rhode Island, Vermont, Texas and Ohio.

- Ohio early voters flooded polling stations ahead of today’s vote. Meanwhile in reference to Clinton/Obama’s dueling 3 AM ads, John McCain said jumped on the news of yesterdays Russian presidential elections saying “These elections were clearly rigged, the opposition was repressed, and it’s unfortunate,”

- Senator Obama was on the defensive yesterday over news that a memo taken during a meeting between his advisor and the Canadian Embassy, contradicted the campaigns official stance on what was said during the gathering. The Canadian Embassy issued a release upholding the campaign’s version and downplaying the memo, but last night Obama seemed “heated” when discussing the subject with the press. This morning the New York Times has picked up on the story.

- In a new ad Clinton is attacking Obama over his chairmanship of a Senate Foreign Relations subcommittee.

- Rush Limbaugh urged Texas Republicans to vote for Hillary Clinton tomorrow. His reasoning? Clinton is the only candidate willing to hit Obama hard, he doesn’t have faith that McCain will do it, the longer she stays in the better chances his party will have at taking the WH.

- Politico Explores a tale of two daughters, Chelsea Clinton and Meghan McCain.

- The Wall Street Journal throws yet another obstacle in the way of the Democratic nomination. “Add-ons are unpledged delegates who are added on to each state’s allocation of superdelegates as a sort of convention party favor. There are 76 add-ons this year, or about as many delegates as those allotted to Idaho, Hawaii and Delaware combined.”

Where Are They?
Obama: San Antonio, TX
Clinton: Columbus, OH

Huckabee: Irving, TX
McCain: San Antonio, Houston, Dallas, TX

photo credit: GStrader

Good morning Geeks, incase you missed it the two main Democratic candidate spent most of the weekend proving to the American people they were the best candidate to protect the nation, by continuing to attack each other like children. Democracy rules!

Meanwhile the site was down most of saturday because of a server transfer glitch, sorry. But the Election Geek did spend Sunday buying a house! WOO HOO. Well we made an offer, it was accepted and now I have to figure out just what in the world made the wife and I go crazy yesterday. Fun. Here is your morning brew.

- If you haven’t been following, Hillary Clinton launched an ad this weekend questioning Obama’s foreign policy experience by saying she is the candidate you would want working in the White House at 3 AM when a crisis strikes. Obama countered with an ad saying he would be better at 3 AM because he would have made the right call, like he did on Iraq.

Personally? If you want a candidate who is up at 3 AM I suggest you vote for a twenty-one year old.

- The Washington Post has an article under the headline “Clinton, Obama Recast Their Message on Iraq”, that is funny because to me their messages sound EXACTLY like the ones they started with over a year ago.

- Speaking of the ads, this morning Senator Obama said Clinton was getting “a little desperate” during a taped appearance on ABC’s Good Morning America. Also said no one knows for sure who will be ready in a time of crisis until it happens.

Obama also said “I don’t know where all that experience got her”. I will take a bunch of lost primaries for a $1000! Oh, he was talking about Iraq again, still a good zinger.

- The LA Times looks at the Clinton breakdown, before we know it completely broke down. Clinton’s strategist Mark Penn continued his “don’t blame me, I didn’t do it” routine.

- Media continues its commitment to parse everything Bill Richardson says and see if it is a sign he is going to support Obama.

- ABC looks “behind the scenes” of Hillary Clinton’s appearance on SNL this weekend.

- Politico looks at the mountain of missteps the McCain camp has already taken in the general election.

- Politico also has an interesting look inside of Election 2008 reporting and how a simple story can be a big headache for editors when a campaign challenges what has been written.

- All eyes are on tomorrows primaries! If you watch MSNBC then you know Hillary Clinton is a fool for not dropping out already, will be a fool for not dropping out tomorrow and will be even more of a fool because she will cling to the possibility of the nomination with claws like a monster and demand they follow the nuance of party rules!

Meanwhile, everyone has forgotten Mike Huckabee is still running. I take that back the Washington Times says he is ready to lead a revival, who knew?

Also of Note

- Clinton announced a surprise Press Conference for this morning in Toledo

photo credit: desi.italy

photo credit: pasotraspaso

Good morning Geeks.

President Bush Takes on Obama

During this weeks Democratic debate Senator Obama took on a question about the potential of al Qaeda securing a base in Iraq after a US departure. The Senator said if the terrorist organization “was successful” in created a stronghold in the nation, he would consider sending troops back in. John McCain jumped on the remarks and yesterday during a press conference the President did as well.

“That’s an interesting comment,” Bush said at press conference Thursday. “‘If al Qaeda is securing an al Qaeda base — then yes?’ Well, that’s exactly what they’ve been trying to do for the past four years…. That’s one of the challenges we face, is denying al Qaeda a safe haven anywhere.”

MEANWHILE…. Mike Huckabee discussed the Senator’s spending plans:

“If we were doing the Master Card commercial we’d simply say we know what some of the costs are. Some of the items on his agenda? Priceless.”

Secret NAFTA Meeting?
The Internets are abuzz with rumors that Senator Obama held a secret meeting with Canada assuring them not to worry about his anti-NAFTA Rhetoric. It was reported on a Canadian TV broadcast but the Obama campaign denies the meeting took place in the following statement:

“The news reports on Obama’s position on NAFTA are inaccurate and in no way represent Senator Obama’s consistent position on trade. When Senator Obama says that he will forcefully act to make NAFTA a better deal for American workers, he means it. Both Canada and Mexico should know that, as president, Barack Obama will do what it takes to create and protect American jobs and strengthen the American economy — that includes amending NAFTA to include labor and environmental standards. We are currently reaching out to the Canadian embassy to correct this inaccuracy.”

The Canadians deny it too.

Even with the denials John McCain has decided to make it an issue.

Quick Roundup
- The Joint Chiefs chairman Admiral Mullen rebuked Senator Obama & Clinton’s Iraq strategies saying an immediate withdrawal would create a “chaotic situation” and would “turnaround the gains we have achieved, and struggled to achieve, and turn them around overnight.”

- This weeks Democratic debate gave MSNBC its largest audience EVER!.

- Senator Clinton brought in $35 Million for the month of February, Obama people haven’t come out with a total yet but say it is “considerably more”, most believe it is beyond $50 Million. Just recently the campaign hit over 1,000,000 donors.

- Michelle Obama says using her husbands middle name is a Fear bomb.

- Marc Ambinder asks How many delegates does Senator Clinton need to win?

- Rahm Emanuel (D-Ill) believes Democrats will face a suck punch on taxes.

Where Are They Today?
Clinton, Obama & McCain are all in Texas

photo credit: jwalsh

Good morning fellow Geeks! Hope you are enjoying your morning coffee, yes I am doing this late so that cup is probably empty by now. Meanwhile I hope you were born within the strict confines of America’s 50 states. You wearn’t? Well the New York Times thinks you might not be able to run for president, sorry, how about dog-catcher? They are probably wrong, but be forwarned, the paper who claimed an affair for McCain with no evidence now says he might not be able to be president.

Anyway, onto the news.

- As I noted the New York Times published a piece questioning John McCain’s ability to be president because the constitution says, “natural born citizen”. John McCain’s father had the inconvenient task of serving his country at the time of the Senator’s birth, his son was delivered at a military base in the Panama canal zone. The piece gives little definitive on the subject and most seem to agree he can probably run. Still the headline.

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Patrick Ruffini twittered “So, who prompted that reporter to first ask Harold Wolfson about HRC self-funding?” and maybe it was the antibiotics or the ear infection but I laid awake last night with those words rolling around in my head. If the whole “down and out Wednesday” for the Clinton camp was just a clever marketing stunt it probably worked. With that said, it doesn’t make a whole lot of long-term sense, does it?

Right now you have two candidates who are doing everything they can not to be the frontrunner and I find that astounding. Every Democrat wants to be an underdog and live out their Rocky Balboa moment. Doesn’t anyone want to be the winner and just roll with it? Even Clinton, who ran a campaign of inevitability, would never actually say it leading up to Iowa. Why not? Just say, “yeah, I am awesome and am going to cream these people” instead of pretending like Dennis Kucinich is your equal on stage.

John McCain is cut from this same cloth. I remember him coming out to the Star Wars theme on Leno in 2000 and after Super Tuesday it seemed to almost pain him to announce he was the frontrunner. I have read the endless articles about his superstitious side but I think it goes beyond that. He is a man who has always wanted to be the maverick underdog, the guy who triumphs over adversity and all that.

Frankly someone needs to tell all of these candidates it feels good to be a winner. Take a page from Bill Clinton, declare yourself the winner before the vote is in and move on. During the recount mess of 2000 the moment I knew George W. Bush was going to be the winner was the moment he acted like he was. Al Gore was running around saying, “maybe he is the winner, maybe I am the winner, lets have a recount and see”. George was busy assembling a cabinet and writing “thank you” letters.

Take a page from Mel Brooks and say, “it’s good to be the King”. If you really think you are winning, enjoy it and if you don’t think you are winning then the rest of us will probably feel the same way.

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- Elizabeth Edwards argued yesterday that Clinton’s Health Care proposal was a rip-off of her husbands. The greater question is, what is a rip-off of Mitt Romney’s? The former Gov. has been digging into Clinton over her proposal but independent analysis of his own plan for Massachusetts shows some striking similarities.

- An ad taken out by MoveOn.org against Gen. Patraeus was met with condemnation in the Senate yesterday. Clinton & Dodd voted against the measure while Barack Obama & Joe Biden abstained.

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- For a quick bit of the minutia of politicking check out Marc Ambinder’s recap of microphone problems before Barack Obama’s tax speech. Also check out John McCormick’s 12 Bucks Buy 10 Lawn Signs.

- The Congressional Black Caucus, which is supposed to be a neutral organization, is facing some “grumbling” over the leaderships decision to hold a Clinton only forum.

- Another sign that Thompson’s much ballyhooed support from the religious right was probably just a media concoction as James Dobson, one of the nation’s most politically influential evangelical Christians, says he will not support the candidate.

- He hit Hillary Clinton hard over polluted fundraising but does John Edwards have his own bundler problems?

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