2008: Democrats in Town

Most of the Democratic field is in Washington today for the Democratic National Committee’s winter meeting. See the “On Deck” section below for the list of who’s speaking today and Saturday. You’ll notice that all of the speakers have already have declared their candidacy or formed an exploratory committee except Gen. Wesley Clark. Hmmm.

The meetings are likely to be most beneficial to lower-tier candidates, giving them the opportunity to win support from party activists who might not know much about them. The Hotline’s OnCall blog is tracking candidate after candidate.

Not appearing this weekend is former Vice President Al Gore. Donna Brazile, who ran his 2000 campaign for the White House, suggests that we “wait till Oscar night.” Mr. Gore’s documentary about global warming, “An Inconvenient Truth,” has been nominated for two Academy Awards.

“I tell people: ‘I’m dating. I haven’t fallen in love yet.,’” she told a crowd at Moravian College in Bethlehem, Pa., Tuesday night. “On Oscar night, if Al Gore has slimmed down 25 or 30 pounds, Lord knows.”

The three Democratic campaign committees are in significant debt, and the Republicans aren’t in such good shape, either. Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, on the other hand, has plenty of money left over in her Senate campaign account. Names for supporters who raise $1 million for Mrs. Clinton are still under consideration. But whether they’re called “Hillraisers” or “Pathfinders” (certainly not “Rangers”), the $1 million figure is part of the plan to raise what would be a record-setting $75 million this year.

Mrs. Clinton called for enhanced diplomacy with Syria and Iran, but she did not rule out military action against the latter, either.

The Rev. Al Sharpton, who ran for the Democratic nomination in 2004 and hasn’t ruled out at 2008 bid, isn’t giving Senator Joseph R. Biden Jr. a pass on his remark that Senator Barack Obama is “the first mainstream African-American who is articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy.”

“George Allen got ‘macaca’ — this might be a step past that,” said Mr. Sharpton, referring to then-Senator Allen of Virginia, whose campaign never recovered after he called an Indian man “macaca.”

On the other hand, South Carolina party leaders, some of whom are black, weren’t too troubled by Mr. Biden’s remarks.

Mr. Obama’s political identity struggle with regard to black voters can be summed up in this quote from Rachel L. Swarns’s article:

“Now, I’m willing to adopt him,” Debra J. Dickerson continued [in a Salon essay]. “He married black. He acts black. But there’s a lot of distance between black Africans and African-Americans.”

Rudolph W. Giuliani, the ultimate city slicker, was in Texas last night courting conservatives. While his social positions continue to pose a problem, his fund-raising potential has been enhanced there by his association with a local law firm. Then again, can you really blame conservatives for their skepticism when Mr. Giuliani did not even check the “Republican” box on government filing forms? He also has not submitted a one-page document declaring himself a potential candidate, Newsday reports, validating concerns that he isn’t really serious about running.

Mr. Giuliani will have to share his home turf, as the New York G.O.P. has booked Senator John McCain, a chief rival, to appear with the former mayor at a major fund-raiser.

Jim Talent, who was just ousted from his Missouri Senate seat in November, has signed on with Mitt Romney’s campaign. The endorsement could help Mr. Romney convince conservatives that his conversion to an anti-abortion position in recent years is genuine. Mr. Romney says he changed his mind about abortion as a result of the stem cell debate, and Mr. Talent’s opposition to embryonic stem cell research contributed to his loss to now-Senator Claire McCaskill.

During his visit to New Hampshire’s North Country, Mr. Romney predicted that measures similar to the mandatory health insurance law he signed as governor of Massachusetts will eventually be adopted nationwide.

Hey, a man’s gotta make a living, even while he’s running for president. Tom Vilsack, the former Iowa governor, has taken on his second private sector job. The first is at Drake University, and now he’ll also be a consultant (though not a lobbyist, he is quick to point out) on renewable fuels for MidAmerican Energy. We imagine he negotiated a lot of vacation days.

If you’re still having trouble remembering who Representative Duncan Hunter is, read this USA Today profile.

Gov. Janet Napolitano of Arizona warned that recent efforts by big states to move their primaries up could “prematurely close off the process to very qualified candidates because of measures like money that they can’t meet early enough.” Such a move on California’s part could be a setback for Mr. McCain, reports The Washington Times.

Florida is considering moving up its primary, but the Sunshine State usually makes the most news after the election because of voting problems that cast doubt on the results. But Gov. Charlie Crist’s call for all machines to have a paper trail by 2008 could signal the “death knell for the paperless electronic touch-screen machines,” writes The Times’s Abby Goodnough.

Today
Republicans
– Mitt Romney at Conservative Members Retreat of the Republican Study Committee in Baltimore.
– Senator Sam Brownback in Columbia, S.C.
– Tommy Thompson at USA Today political forum in Henderson, Nev.

Democrats
– Tom Vilsack at USA Today political forum in Henderson.
– The following candidates address the Democratic National Committee’s winter meeting in Washington (in order of appearance):
Senator Christopher J. Dodd
Senator Barack Obama
General Wesley Clark
John Edwards
Representative Dennis Kucinich
Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton

Saturday
Republicans
– John Cox in Pittsfield, N.H.

Democrats
– Mr. Kucinich in Keene, N.H.
– The following candidates address the D.N.C.’s winter meeting (in order of appearance):
Senator Joseph R. Biden
Gov. Bill Richardson
Mike Gravel
Tom Vilsack

Sunday
Democrats
– Mr. Kucinich in Portsmouth, Dover and Rochester, N.H.

Comments are no longer being accepted.

Helen February 2, 2007 ·

How can Romney be pro-choice and then change his mind because of stem cells of all things? Stem cells are from embryos that are supposed to be thrown away (because surely, you can’t force women to implant 100 embryos in their womb). If the fact that women were cutting embryos out of their body before didn’t bother Romney, discarding extra embryos in petri dishes shouldn’t bother Romney either. His conversion sounds disingenuous, designed solely to garner support from the conservative right. The funny thing is, the conservative right will buy this nonsense again because Romney, despite being a mormon and a flip-flopper, is still better than more liberal McCain and pro-choice, pro-gay, pro-gun control, thrice married Giuliani. Romney will get the Republican nomination, and he too will leave the conservative right in the dust, just like Bush did after he used them. And who can beat Romney?

Al Gore and Richardson combination – they are the dream team for the democratic party for the following reasons:
(1) They are scandal-free ethical white men – no strike against them from the conservatives for being female or black, and even the religious-right may prefer them over a mormon or scandal-prone Giuliani.
(2) Gore debatably already won before, and all he has to do is win one more red state – and since Florida and Ohio are now switching to a paper trail voting system and cleaning up their confusing ballots, Republicans can’t do anything shady.
(3) Gore has stopped being stiff. Hopefully, he stopped exaggerating. He should get himself a better campaign team who will support him and fight tough, not control him and leak information.
(4) Gore was right about not invading Iraq b/c of the sectarian violence that would ensue, and he was right about global warming.
(5) Gore, through environmental advocacy, has already won the hearts of the international community more than any other American politican – even being nominated for a Nobel prize (and the Oscars).

Ralph February 2, 2007 ·

If the Democratic Party expects to win back The
White House in 2008,then the Democrats had better
get a different speaker,then Nancy Pelosi as she
sold us out on Impeachment of both President
George W Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney and
dreamed that useless First 100 Hundred Hours Idiotic Distraction from the War in Iraq and then
sold us out on cutting off the funds for Bush’s War
in Iraq and now has reportedly violated the Democrats own new ethics code! So does Nancy Pelosi
thinks she is Queen of the Congress or what? The
voters will remember her idiotic antics in 2008!

Michael February 2, 2007 ·

So you call a legislator who legislates stupid and useless, Ralph? Passing legislation is suddenly an idiotic distraction for a congresswoman? Anti-war Democrats are single-minded zombies. A one-tune act. What have you done for minimum wage workers lately?? Maybe you all should run Lamont for president, because you know how strong a demographic the Democratic Far-left is.

TedG February 2, 2007 ·

If Hillary were to become president and serve for 8 years, there will be young people in this country born since 1988 who, for 28 years, will have only experienced presidents Clinton and Bush.

28 years – Clinton and Bush. That’s just too much for two families.

As for the dream that any kid can grow up to be president – how can youngsters who’ve only seen Clintons and Bushes even contemplate such a thing?

Hillary is a bright, hard-working, accomplished woman. But there are other people who are just as bright and hard-working and capable of leading the country.

Can we please stop this two family cycle?

Sbriggs February 2, 2007 ·

Just have to correct Helen…Gov Richardson is Hispanic (his mother was Mexican and he defines himself as a Hispanic American). While I feel his ethnic background should be viewed as an asset – it is a wonderful thing to have leaders that represent all parts of American culture – there are people who won’t. There are a lot of bigots out there who will (particularly in this increasingly ‘anti-immigrant’ environment) hold this against him. Isn’t it sad though that we’re even having these types of discussions in 2007…

Robert* February 2, 2007 ·

Hillary may be bright and hard-working, but I’m not clear what accomplishments qualify her to be president. She seems to be running primarily as the wife of Bill Clinton, and mentions that she is the victim of infidelity when her inexperience is raised as an issue. Even her fundraising is largely due to being wife of Bill. What bills has she influenced in the senate, besides the bill to authorize war in Iraq?

She was wrong on Iraq, and will be portrayed as a flipflopper on that issue in the general election.

The other problem is she has no charisma.

Barry February 2, 2007 ·

With all the doubts currently circling through the minds of Democrats about who is the most electable candidate, one man remains offstage. Al Gore is unquestionably the most experienced, and the most electable democratic (candidate). He has been through the trial of Republican fire before and survived. The 2000 election was his; lost only because of the corruption of his opponent’s followers. His eloquence and intelligence shone through in “An Inconvenient Truth”, as he shared with all of us the knowledge which he has gained after 30 years of studying global warming. Whether the film wins an Oscar or not, Al Gore is the democrat who can win the White House in 2008.

ErikW February 3, 2007 ·

Thanks to Helen for the very insightful analysis as usual.

Romney is bashing Hillary as weak on Iran, because she has said diplomacy would be on the table! He’s taking advantage of Israel’s position that Iran cannot have any nuclear technology whatsoever. It’s too bad Israel, our beneficiary, is driving our debate and our policy.