Bailout bill crashes and burns; candidates play blame game

9/29/08 4:29 PM

The much-discussed $700 billion government bailout bill, which would have authorized the U.S. Treasury to purchase up to $700 billion in failed mortgages and loans from America's troubled banks and investment firms, was voted down today in the House of Representatives. Setting aside, for a moment, the potential economic implications of the issue if no legislation is passed (the democrats are likely to propose a new, revised bill as soon as possible), the event throws yet another major twist into the 2008 presidential race. (To read more about the financial crisis and the bailout plan, click here and here. To read about today's planned vote, click here.) Last week, John McCain suspended his presidential campaign, declaring in a risky and high-profile move that he would be returning to... 1 comment

Verdict on Debate #1

9/28/08 3:17 PM

To the dismay of many pro-Obama Jumbos, it seems as though Senator John McCain may have just managed to get the upper hand in last night’s debate. He commanded much of the conversation from the beginning of the debate to the end. At the outset, McCain was quick to cite specific cost-saving measures like “fixed cost contracts” and across the board “spending freeze[s],” which made Obama look like he wasn’t willing to risk taking political flak for cutting somebody’s pet program.  During the segments on national security and foreign policy issues, McCain painted Obama as inexperienced and uninformed, repeating the phrase “Mr. Obama doesn’t understand” several times. Obama contested these attacks, but McCain was truly... 1 comment

Counting down to the debate

9/27/08 11:06 AM

Editor's note: Due to technical problems, this post did not appear on our blog until after the debate had already taken place. We apologize for the inconvenience. John McCain threw Barack Obama a curveball on Wednesday. But last night the tables had turned, and Sen. McCain (R-Ariz.) was wheeling. Congress had failed to broker a deal, and it looked like McCain’s vow to skip tonight’s debate unless he could first help Bush, Pelosi and co. bail out Wall Street might actually prevent him from attending the debates. “My friends,” this was not his intention. So earlier today the breaking news was that McCain, having pulled even with Obama in the Gallup poll after Wednesday’s ostentatious rejection of “politics,” would in fact attend...

The Daily catches up with Dick Gephardt

9/26/08 1:28 PM

Assistant News Editor Michael Del Moro sat down with former House of Representatives Majority Leader Dick Gephardt (D-Mo.) yesterday. He talked with the former congressman and two-time presidential candidate about the financial crisis that legislators failed to allay yesterday. Gephardt said that inaction from the Congress could lead to a worldwide downturn and a depression as bad as what the United States saw in the 1930s.  Gephardt also weighed in on Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), Gov. Sarah Palin (R-Alaska) and his candidate for president, Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.). A former supporter of Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.), Gephardt said he was confident Obama would ultimately have no trouble winning over the bulk of the voters who supported her in the primaries. Nabbing independent... 0 comment

An open invitation for armchair punditry

9/23/08 12:48 PM

At this very moment, John McCain and Barack Obama are sure to be hard at work preparing for Friday night's debate on national security and foreign affairs.  On issues of national security, the Obama camp is probably working out pithy position statements on issues ranging from Russian expansionism and China's ongoing military revamp to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and terrorism.  Not to be outdone, the McCain campaign is likely formulating  decisive one-liners for the very same issues.  On the foreign policy side, Mr. McCain and his advisors are bound to be hashing out concise descriptions of Mr. McCain's stances on issues like free trade and the roles of the UN and NATO.  Mr. Obama is undoubtedly going practice likewise. Why all this preparation and... 1 comment

Pro-choicers find creative outlet for Palin rage

9/17/08 2:46 PM

Democrats whose blood boils every time they watch Sarah Palin speak are finding at least one constructive way to use their rage. Along with the the rumors and personal attacks against Palin that are circling the Web, a chain e-mail has turned up urging frustrated pro-choicers make a donation to Planned Parenthood—in honor of Sarah Palin. Planned Parenthood will even send Palin a card telling her about the special gift that’s been made in her name. Rather than complain yet again about that bespectacled, gun-toting Alaskan, the message urges recipients to give to a group that opposes her stances on reproductive rights (she’s pro-life), and in doing so, make a political statement that is both cheeky and tax-deductible. The full e-mail below: ---------- Forwarded... 1 comment

Obama campaign eerily reminiscent of Dukakis...

9/15/08 1:31 AM

The Politico's Jonathan Martin, one of the sharpest political news bloggers on the Web, dug up this video from Michael Dukakis' 1988 presidential campaign against George Bush Sr. After tearing into Bush 41 for running misleading campaign ads, Dukakis delivers a pitch that could have been plagiarized from any Obama stump speech: "The stakes are too high for every American family. The real question is, will we have a president who fights for the priveliged few, or will we have a president who fights for you? George Bush wants to give the wealthiest 1 percent of the people in this country a new tax break worth 30,000 a year. I'm fighting for you and your family. For affordable housing and health care. For better jobs. For the best education and opportunity for our children. It's... 1 comment

A political blogger's questions for Palin

9/13/08 1:26 PM

On Thursday, we ran a post in which political science professors posed questions they would like to see asked of Gov. Sarah Palin (R-Alaska) in her interview with ABC's Charlie Gibson. Today, we have another response -- this time from political blogger Alex Whalen, who teaches in the Ex College. Whalen studies how blogs and the mainstream press interact in coverage of political stories and issues. Alex Whalen Teaches "New Media, New Politics" in the Ex College Political Blogger (blog.alexwhalen.com) "In November of 2005, Congressional Republicans stripped from federal budget $442 million in earmarks requiring the construction of two bridges that soon became known as as the "Bridge to Nowhere." Thanks to a compromise brokered by Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens, who was... 3 comments

Polsci professors on Palin: A range of questions...

9/11/08 4:33 PM

On Tuesday, we asked readers to weigh in on what questions they'd like to see ABC's Charlie Gibson ask Sarah Palin when he interviews her this week (in what will be her first -- and only scheduled -- interview with a national journalist since her nomination). Readers had a variety of issues to raise, from questions about Palin's decisions as governor to her policy stances on abortion, stem cell research and the environment. But why stop there? We asked some of Tufts' top media/political types the same question we asked you: What would they like to know about Sarah Palin? Here's how they responded: Deborah Schildkraut Professor, political science; American politics "I would ask her a few things: If/when she thinks the United States can/should use torture as a means... 4 comments

Open thread: What should Gibson ask Palin?

9/10/08 11:01 AM

Just over a week after John McCain announced his (shocking) choice for running mate, the Republican has seen an enormous boost in national polls. After polling below Obama in almost every instance this election season, McCain now finds himself with a 2- to 10-point lead in polls all of the most trusted sources. The difference? Sarah Palin. Palin, the largely unknown first-term Alaskan governor, has revved up the conservative base and brought new hope to a party that had all but resigned itself to defeat. Much like Obama when he first entered the national scene, she is a wildcard -- blank slate upon which conservatives can project their own hopes for the future of their party. But relatively little is actually known about Palin's position on national policies; as a governor, most... 8 comments